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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.”

Chapter Text

Madoka sighed and let her pen drop on her unfinished homework. She would have likely found it difficult studying even if her mind weren’t clouded by all that had happened earlier in the day. Sliding off her chair, she flopped onto her bed in a confused huff and rolled onto her plushies for comfort. Pulling out her phone she stared at the contacts on the screen and reflected on the events that lead to her distress. It was only her first week back at school, yet somehow, she had found herself caught in a political struggle between her old friend Homura and the Student Council President Mami…

………

Back in the student council room, following the theatrical welcome Mami had delivered, Madoka sat in awkward silence quietly sipping her tea while the two Presidents settled into business over hot beverages.

“So why exactly were you late?” Homura asked Mami, her narrow eyes peering at the older girl as she took a sip of coffee.

“Oh, you know, the usual sea of students in need.” Mami sighed back, before seeing Madoka’s guilty expression and assuring her with a motherly aside “Oh, please don’t worry dear, helping you was a pleasure.”

Homura however ignored Mami’s doting and pressed on with mild annoyance.

“Have you considered telling them you are too busy to hear their frivolous prattling? Especially when you are running late for a meeting.”

“And leave poor Miss Kaname wandering like a lost lamb, robbing you of that tender reunion? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You know that wasn’t what I meant.” Homura groaned in response, wondering how long the blond would tease her for that moment of sentiment “It’s ridiculous how often you get caught up solving petty problems for people who should know better.”

“It’s not a good look for the Student Council to ignore people in need, regardless of how petty you believe their problems to be.” Mami’s largely playful tone dropping away as she sipped her tea, instead gaining a stern chill that rivalled Homura “Anyway, I don’t mind it that much, I just wish boys would realise I’m not interested and stop asking for help as an excuse to ask me out.”

“Do you get asked out a lot Mami?” Madoka asked, still curious about the scene she had spied upon.

“Unfortunately, I suppose it comes with the territory of being President. But even if I were interested, I really don’t have the time to date anyone at the moment, especially with entrance exams later in the year.”

“Would you prefer they were more like that first-year girl from a few weeks ago? The one who visited the council to invite you to the arcade.” Homura asked, a slight smirk teasing through her usual deadpan demeanour; Mami smiling at the bare hint of humour from the dour girl.

“Little Miss Rika? She was sweet, a bit too energetic for my taste, but her boldness was quite adorable. I felt so bad crushing her hope like that; hopefully, she’ll find someone better to fawn over.” Mami smiled in reminiscence, Madoka happily noting to herself that Mami didn’t object to being asked out by another girl.

Homura however was less fascinated and responded wryly, “Well regardless, these failed suitors of yours have wasted enough time today, let’s move onto business before they somehow waste more.”

“Yes, I suppose we should.” Mami said with a sigh, her cup giving a nice little clink as it was placed back on its saucer “Sorry Miss Kaname, hopefully this won’t take too long and you two will be able to have a proper reunion straight after.” And in a blink, her eyes sharpened into focus and her voice took on a straightforward and business-like tone as she asked her VP “So what is on the agenda for today Miss Akemi?”

For the next twenty minutes or so Madoka sat in rapt silence as the two presidents went about their business, discussing a variety of things Madoka didn’t quite understand: the preparations for the upcoming elections, their failing attempts to recruit new members, various incidents of bullying that had been occurring across the year levels, etc. It was fascinating to watch them debate, both girls almost transforming before her eyes as they matched wits and exchanged petty little digs. It was pleasantly odd to see Homura asserting herself so fiercely, even if she could seem shockingly cold at times. Admittedly so could Mami, who returned to her stern persona as soon as serious discussion began; returning Homura’s jabs with her own similarly sardonic remarks (though hers were delivered with far more backhanded grace). Still they managed get the work done, even if both seemed too stubborn to compromise; one particularly nasty disagreement regarding their membership numbers, ending with Mami snapping “Well I am currently still the president, and unless you have anything new to add about the situation, I’m not interested in hearing your mutinous assertions.”

That seemed to kill all negotiations for the time being, Homura standing up in frustration and tossing her cold cup of coffee away, as Mami poured herself the sauciest cup of tea Madoka had ever seen.

Madoka somewhat feared their argument would ignite once more, when Mami asked “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

But instead Homura replied softly with a cautious control as she returned to her seat.

“Yes, you may want to know that Kyoko Sakura has been largely absent since the beginning of term. The few times she has arrived at school, she often skips most classes.”

“I see…” Mami stiffened at the name, her voice terse and dripping with regret “Could you talk to her for me? I fear she’s unlikely to listen to anything I say.”

“I’ve tried, but I’ll make another attempt if you’d like. Though I doubt she’ll listen to me either. Is there anything particular you want me to tell her?” Homura queried coolly, a glint of sympathy in her amethyst eyes as they quietly waited for Mami to ponder over her response.

“No, do whatever you can to get her to attend. I would hate to see her fail because of me.”

“I’ll do what I can, but I can’t make any promises.”

Who was this girl? Madoka wondered as she listened to the regretful way the pair spoke about her. She found her natural fear of meddling clashing against her instinctive desire to help those around her, even when doing so seemed likely to strand her in a sea of drama.

“Thank you, Miss Akemi” Mami’s voice dripped with melancholic gratitude when she spoke again, then after a brief pause, it returned to her usual bright and charismatic chime “Now I think I’ve stolen enough of your time from Miss Kaname, take her somewhere and have fun.”

Homura’s cheeks reddened slightly as she looked awkwardly at Madoka, her perpetually frown parting with embarrassed yearning.

“There’s no need to be shy, go on hurry off, you two must have so much to catch up on.” Mami beckoned them onwards with a smile, practically pushing them out even as Madoka looked back at the mess as though to say ‘Are you sure it’s alright’

“You needn’t worry about me; I’ll stay here and clean up and then I should go talk to the drama club as I promised. It really was lovely meeting you Miss Kaname, feel free to come by and visit Miss Akemi any time you please.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to recruit you.” Homura flatly joked as they left the council room together.

“Ah I don’t even know what I’d say if she did. The Council seems interesting, but I’m not sure if I would be a good fit.”

“Well, you are welcome to come by and visit to get a better picture. Tomoe and I are there after school most days, though it’s mostly just filling out paperwork and studying. Things might change in the future, but for now Tomoe is content with the council taking on a more passive role.” Homura suggested in a way that was both painfully blunt, but also practically begging Madoka to come again “I hope Tomoe didn’t bother you too much with her teasing.”

“Oh no, I thought she was really nice, you two seemed like good friends.”

 “Not really.” Homura replied, leaving the pair hanging in awkward silence, wondering what to say next, as they meandered down the corridor

 “Would you like to walk home together Homura? I was planning to meet Hitomi and Sayaka by the entrance and it would be fun if we could all catch up like old times.” Madoka asked the raven-haired girl with forced cheer, desperately trying to ignore the icy mood that hung around her like a blizzard. The frost hung in silence as Homura turned and stared with torn nostalgia for a second before murmuring softly.

“Yes… I suppose that would be nice”

Seeing a slight tinge of pink emerge on the cold girl’s cheeks turned Madoka’s forced smile into a beaming grin; the shy girl she knew reappearing before her alleviating her fears as they walked down the stairs together.

“I was surprised when Sayaka told me you’d become Vice President; I kinda didn’t think it was true.” Madoka admitted to her feet, still wading through the awkward swamp of tension between them. “But it was nice seeing you be so cool and confident, even if you can be a bit scary at times.”

Madoka laughed out the last part, slightly dulling the guilt Homura felt as she heard it; barely being able to suppress the blush that arose from hearing her best friend call her cool, her sheepish response belied the confidence Madoka found cool.

“Well… you did tell me I should become as cool as my name sounded…”

Madoka looked at her puzzled for a moment, before recalling those words from the day they first met with a giggle.

“Oh geez, don’t tell me you joined the student council because of something embarrassing I said back in middle school.” She was mostly teasing, but Homura’s lingering silence made her wonder and left a fluttering pressure in her stomach. “Oh, Homura… Is that why you got rid of your glasses too?”

“Not entirely, losing them also helped with improving my performance in PE.” Despite the detached confidence returning to her voice, Madoka could tell she was totally lying and pressed her weak point again.

“Well, I think you’d look good with or without them.” Madoka smiled as she saw the blush creep across Homura’s sullen cheeks, enjoying an echo of the quiet intimacy that once existed between them, though it ended all too soon as it was interrupted by a rowdy voice.

“Hey Madoka, over here!” Sayaka called out, beckoning her friend over to where she and Hitomi were standing “Oh hey Homura didn’t know you’d be coming too.”

“Oh, hey Sayaka!” Madoka called out as she skipped ahead to join her friends.

“Miki. Shizuki.” The purple-eyed girl nodded brusquely as she followed.

 “So Madoka found you after all. Did she drag you along to come to catch up with us like we’re all still besties?” Sayaka replied cheerily, boyishly nudging the girl as though they were back in middle school. While she was obviously surprised to see Homura, outwardly she looked happy; Hitomi however had a less cordial reaction — gasping “Oh” as though she had just witnessed the prodigal son crawl back home.

“Yes, she said it might be fun.” Homura bashfully looked at Madoka while she spoke.

“That sounds like our Madoka, always trying to get the four of us to get along.” Sayaka dragged Madoka under an arm and tussled her pink fluff with the other "She spent three years overseas and she’s just as short and affectionate as when she left”

“Hey I’ve gotten taller!” Madoka protested, wriggling free of Sayaka’s grasp.

“Not by much.” Homura countered as she pulled on her shoes, earning a laugh from Sayaka.

“Sorry Madoka but it seems you’ve been outnumbered” Sayaka leaned down on Madoka’s shoulder emphasizing that she was at least a head taller now. If that wasn’t bad enough Homura joined her, easily patting her on her head as she teased again.

“Yes, we have conclusive proof that she is indeed short.”

“Both of you stop teasing Madoka, she got us all together so we could have a nice time and you make fun of her.” Hitomi chided, rolling her eyes at the three of them, her nose still slightly turned up at Homura “Anyway, it’s not as though that was something that needed confirmation.”

Sayaka laughed even harder at this, skipping out of reach when Madoka tried to swat her in frustration.

“Hey maybe we can go to the mall together like we used to?” She suggested mirthfully as they headed out of the building.

“Perhaps, my dance class isn’t until later, so I might have some time before then.” As always, Hitomi had to ponder through her loaded schedule whenever Sayaka made such spur of the moment plans.

“What do you think Homura?” Madoka asked the black-haired girl walking beside her as they both trailed slightly behind the other two.

“I really should get home and study…” She replied bluntly staring down at her feet with uncertainty, however when she lifted her head, she met Madoka’s gaze with a tender smile “But just for today, it would be a nice way to celebrate your return.”

To which Madoka could only beam.

………

Over the next few days Madoka spent much of her time after school attending student council meetings with Homura. She hadn’t lied, it largely considered of reading through paperwork and responding to various funding applications made by the school’s numerous clubs. While she would occasionally skim through the council work to try to understand how they operated, Madoka largely used the time to study and try to catch up on the classes she had missed. Homura often attempted to offer assistance when she struggled, but Madoka found her studious intensity difficult to learn from (and more than a little intimidating). Instead, it was President Tomoe’s occasionally tutelage that truly helped, the older girl proving far better at helping her understand the work itself (as opposed to Homura, who seemed to simply know the answers) and for that she was truly grateful (and for her tea, of course, which somehow had the power to transform the stuffy room into one with a soothing, autumnal atmosphere). Though regrettably the older girl was there less regularly than she might have hoped; often turning up late or rushing off to assist the various students who showed up looking for help. But when she was there, Madoka found herself enthralled by her presence; she was so refined and charming and bright, yet strangely distant. She would always greet Madoka with that dazzling smile and treated her like a beloved guest, but it always felt like there was something hidden beneath. It’s not that she was ever false, in fact she always seemed deeply genuine in her greetings, as though she was constantly pushing herself to be a kind face for everyone she met. She found herself somewhat jealous of the relationship she had with Homura, for despite their routine bickering, Mami seemed somewhat freer when talking to her; not striving to be perfect and expressing a more sardonic side to her personality when engaging in her snarky tête-à-têtes with the moody girl. Often times their debates could seem fun, full out wit and playful teasing; today’s meeting was not one of those times.

“So, what exactly do you find so objectionable about my leadership?” Mami spoke sternly, attempting to maintain a sense of balanced calm, despite the obvious annoyance bubbling within. 

“Well to begin with there is the continued issue of our scarce membership, that you seem so reluctant to meaningfully discuss.” Homura replied, reading from her notes with the cold precision of an executioner. “You and I may be capable of running this council on our own at the moment, but as the year goes on and events pick up, we will require more assistance.”

Mami hmm’d back in return, asking her authoritative subordinate, “I take it we haven’t heard anything back from any prospective members?”

“Only to say that they don’t think they would be a good fit. And we haven’t had any more enquiries since.”

“Well, the upcoming elections will hopefully be an opportunity to inspire more people to join.” Mami replied coolly, taking a sip from her teacup before continuing “If not we’ll have to make an even larger push to recruit more members and hope that works.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Homura eyed her critically from behind her mug, drawing a defiant flick of curls from Mami as she responded, “Well then I’ll just have to assume it’s your tyrannical tone and overly serious attitude that keeps driving people away.”

“If they cannot handle my seriousness, then they aren’t suited for the council.”  Homura scoffed at this, venom seeping from every word the two spoke “And besides, you are hardly blameless in driving members away from the council.”

This seemed to chasten the older girl a bit and she looked down at her lap with shame humming in her eyes as she spoke in a near whisper, “Let’s not talk about that now…”

She sounded sad and defeated, quietly begging for a truce. Which Homura graciously granted with a sip of her coffee, leaving the room hanging in an uncomfortable stalemate as she drank in bitter triumph. The silent scene left Madoka stewing in unease; a strange sensation of tender sympathy worrying away in her gullet from hearing her strong senior sound so frail and she squeaked out in an awkward attempt to ease the heavy mood.

“Um sorry for interrupting, but I’ve been wondering for a while, why are you running elections? Isn’t Mami already the president?”

She felt like an idiot for even having to ask (really the entire conversation had left her feeling as though she was treading in unknown waters, stumbling through them with a complete lack of context), despite that it seemed she was somewhat successful given the sympathetic smile it drew out of the blonde, who looked towards her grim-faced associate as if to ask: “Would you do the honours?”

“Tomoe is the incumbent President from last year. The student council doesn’t begin serious activities until after the election next week, this interim period is supposed to give the existing members a chance to induct fresh blood and plan their campaigns.” Homura explained with a cool, disinterested patience “However, given Tomoe and I are the only active members, there has been little opportunity for that, instead we have to figure out how to salvage this sinking wreck.”

“But why are there so few of you?” Madoka asked, confused to why the student council was so barren when it was led by someone so inspiring; true, tensions seemed a bit high between the two presidents, and she could see Homura’s blunt chill being challenging for some, but it seemed strange it wasn’t more popular given Mami’s charisma.

“Well, many of our former members have moved on” Mami explained, pausing slightly before continuing with mild reluctance “And unfortunately, we had falling out with some of the members from last year. Now it’s up to Miss Akemi and myself to try to make things better.”

That didn’t really explain things, but it was clear Mami felt uncomfortable talking about it and so Madoka decided to change the topic before the quiet hostility could descend again.

“So, when is the election then?”

“In about two weeks’ time” Mami simpered gracefully, adding with a teasing wink “I hope I can count on your vote.”

Madoka was set to chirp out in affirmation but was interrupted by Homura’s calculated voice before she could.

“Speaking of the election: Tomoe, you need to finalise your application if you are intending to run again. Oh, and you should know that Oriko Mikuni has submitted her nomination, so it confirms that she is aiming for the position again.”

“Annoying, but it’s to be expected; hopefully, she won’t use her speech as an excuse to smear us even more.” Mami tsk’d bitterly at the name and took a sip of tea, before shifting the subject and questioning Homura with a piercing gaze “How about you Miss Akemi? Are you still insisting on running against me?”

“Yes.” The raven-hair girl replied bluntly, hardly showing any emotion.

“Oh, Et tu, Brute?” Mami shook her head in betrayal “You would have made such a wonderful campaign manager.”

“I’ll make an even better president.”

“I’m sure you will — in your third year, or when you inevitably end up in some higher office. But until then I am still your President and I don’t intend to give up easily.”

“I would be shocked if you did; you’re far too stubborn for that.” Homura sipped her coffee as she finished her petty jab, leaving Mami smiling wryly annoyed at her combative Vice President. The tension between the pair sparked through the small room, making the anxiety prone Madoka fret as she watched the pair exchange verbal blows. Desperate to stop an eruption, she piped up between the two, hoping to mediate in what little way she could.

“Um, it probably isn’t my place to talk, but why can’t you both run and whoever doesn’t become President can become the VP instead.” 

Mami laughed lightly in response, charmed by Madoka’s innocent attempts to prevent a fight.

“That’ll likely happen regardless, especially since I would be hard pressed to find a more reliable second-in-command than our Miss Akemi.” She gave Homura a cordial smile and a nod “I can only hope she would say the same of me.”

Homura said nothing, just giving a curt nod in response and fiddling with her notes; Madoka smiled watching this, knowing that the compliment had left the strict girl too flustered to respond; she might have changed in many ways, but Madoka was glad she could still read her subtle responses.

…or so she thought, until Homura rhetorically pried back, “Oh! You’d settle for Vice President? Here I thought it would wound your pride far too much.”

Mami’s neighbourly grin quickly turned playfully caustic, her voice revitalised as she fired back at her Vice.

“So, is that why you are aiming for the top position? Has being VP wounded your pride? You do know it’s only a student council and not actual political office, right?”  Mami fired off her taunts like a barrage of muskets, each word loaded with retaliatory ridicule that only made Homura sneer harder. Mami too was smiling, barely contained frustration steaming through the cracks in her mask as she continued with an attempt at maturity “As for my pride, I think you’ll find it’s a lot more resilient that you might imagine”

Homura drank calmly from her cup and looked Mami dead in her eyes with severe intensity and spoke again, Madoka’s stomach coiling with panic as iron cold words issued forth.

“No, we both know it isn’t. Mikuni knows exactly how to get under your skin and has been openly trying to crush you ever since that incident with Kyoko Sakura last year.” Mami tensed up at the name, looking down at the reflection in her tea with mournful regret as Homura continued her assault “We both know she will use her speech as an opportunity to drag you through the mud in front of the entire school. Are you truly prepared for that?”

“You think I can’t handle a few bitter words spewed by some corrupt politician’s daughter, after I’ve put up with yours for so long?” Mami tsk’d defensively her amber eyes meeting Homura’s glare with equal ferocity challenging her to strike back.

“No. I think you’ll break down on stage and retreat from the world in shame.” Homura’s words bludgeoned her like a sledgehammer, her voice cooled with such callous concern that Madoka felt gasps of pain knotting in her throat, the dam of her eyes threatening to break. In turn, Mami’s mouth curled with anger and she opened her mouth to speak again likely to pour more oil on flames raging between them. Shivering with panic, Madoka just couldn’t take it anymore and cried out.

“PLEASE STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU, PLEASE!” Tears were welling in her magenta eyes, her voice cracking from the shock of witnessing such unrestrained venom from her once kind friend “Why… why are you treating each other like this? Aren’t you on the same side?”

A knell of silence descended upon the room leaving Madoka’s bawling to echo off the walls surrounding the trio. Homura looked down with remorse — the shame of watching her only real friend weep in pain stung, knowing she was to blame. Mami too was struck with regret, her sour words bitten back and forgotten under the weight of the tender girl’s pleas. Yet beneath the guilt, Mami felt admiration arising as she stared at the short pink girl; she was far braver than she seemed and somehow, even sweeter; it truly ached Mami to see her in such distress. Forcing her lips into a sad smile, she offered Homura a conciliatory look and spoke, her respectable tone returned but sobered.

“Miss Kaname is right, we should try to be more civil at least until the elections are past. I’m sorry I let my anger get the better of me.”

Homura said nothing, her lips pursed in cold contemplation as Mami spoke again, attempting to restore a sense of formal normalcy to the frost-stricken council.

“Miss Akemi let’s hurry and finish up our business here, so you can take Miss Kaname somewhere more pleasant.”

Her mature cordiality was forced, but Homura complied, softly replying, “Okay” as she returned to rummaging through her notes.

Mami meanwhile turned her attention to the red-eyed girl, whose tears were still quietly running as she hic’d with laboured breath. The older girl tenderly placed a hand on Madoka shoulder, attempting to console her the way her mother would a long time ago.

“There, there dear, take my handkerchief. I’m sorry we distressed you so.” Her voice was warm and soothing like honeyed milk on a winter’s day; Madoka’s head naturally crooning against her senior’s soft hand, the gentle touch slightly alleviating her distress. Fighting back gentle tears herself, Mami lightly stroked the soft pink hair before her, admiring the bold red ribbons that held the fluffy pigtails in place. ‘She truly was unbelievably cute’ Mami thought wondering whether her casual clothes were as charming as the bows in her hair. Then feeling a dark gaze glaring jealously upon her, she self-consciously drew back, her cheeks slightly pink as Madoka looked up at her with watery eyes like a wounded puppy.

“Let me just get you a glass of water, dear. You can use my hankie to clean your face, alright?”

Madoka raspily murmured “Okay” as the blonde walked over to the sink and chose a clean glass from the cupboard. Homura meanwhile sat in silence, sorrowful eyes watching the tearful Madoka sip water and try to regain a sense of calm. Before they were separated it had usually been Homura who was the cry-baby among the pair, Madoka being the one to comfort her. She wanted nothing more than to reach out to her to embrace her, kiss the tears from her face and make her feel okay again, but she found herself frozen in place; trapped, watching her break from behind a pane of frosted glass and it was Tomoe who had the courage to do what she couldn’t. Instead Homura Akemi retreated back into her shell of sardonic dismissal, afraid to show her vulnerability to the world beyond Madoka.

Her father’s callous words rung in her head; the jeers of the girls in middle school chimed and Homura found herself tensing with frustration.

‘You show vulnerability, and they’ll take it as weakness.’

She wanted to throw herself forward prostrate into Madoka’s lap and weep for forgiveness, tell her that she hadn’t meant to cause her such stress and that they could go back to how they once were. But she couldn’t.

Instead, she began packing up her notes, deciding to retreat back into her scholarly cage rather than sit and stew in her uncomfortable emotional failure.

“Well, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I think I’ll head home and study. You should probably do the same Tomoe; I believe you have a test coming up.” Homura kept her eyes fixed away from Madoka as she spoke.

But it seemed Madoka wasn’t going to let her flee so easily, as she called out with still reddened eyes, “Homura weren’t we going to walk home together again?”

“If you’d like.”

“Then just let me grab my stuff.”

“Ah, I’m sorry to delay such a sweet excursion, but before you both head off, Miss Akemi could you go on ahead and deliver these papers to the faculty room?”  Mami spoke with a warmth that barely veiled the stern paternal concern in her words. “I’d like to speak to Miss Kaname alone if that’s alright.”

“Alright.” Like a chastened child Homura grimaced but agreed; picking up her bag she walked to the door, her long raven hair swishing behind her as she swung it open. “I’ll meet you in the entrance hall when you are done”

As the door closed Madoka felt butterflies bothering her stomach, wondering why her charming (yet surprisingly snarky) upperclassmen would want to speak to her privately, feeling second-hand guilt for the way Homura had treated her. Said guilt only increasing as Mami gave a tired sigh in her chair and looked at her with a conciliatory simper that nearly broke her heart.

“I’m so sorry for that scene, Miss Kaname.” Mami lamented “I wish I could say we’re usually less thorny with one another, but I’m afraid we seem fond of sticking our little barbs into one another. Apologies if it was a shock to see us behave like that.”

“You and Homura don’t like each other very much, do you?” Madoka said with slightly awkward apprehension, realising the friendship she had pictured between them was something far more tumultuous than she had hoped.

“Oh no, I respect her deeply; she’s immensely talented and works hard enough that she could run this school on her own if she was given the chance.” She confessed earnestly “She’s just awfully sardonic and snappy with people, and terrible at delegating at that. But she is truly a genius, always topping her class results every exam season; unfortunately, she knows it, which makes her exhaustingly stubborn, and frankly a challenge to keep up with.”

“She’s changed a lot since I’ve been away. She was bright, but she was always so shy about it, I never knew she could be so… ruthless.” Madoka admitted hesitantly, struggling to understand how much her awkward bespectacled friend had changed in just a handful of years “I’m sorry you have to deal with her acting like that; I’m sure she doesn’t mean to be so rude, she’s just always struggled around other people.”

“Oh, there’s no need for you to apologise for her” Mami laughed lightly at the younger girl, though the mirth didn’t fully reach her eyes “To tell you the truth, I don’t mind it most of the time. Our conversations can often seem like minefields, but I enjoy working with her; her snarky little jabs keep me on my toes and drive me to work harder. She’s just been a pain to deal recently because of the upcoming elections; I’m sure I’ll beat her, but I really would have liked her help campaigning. Things are stressful as it is with our low numbers…” She trailed off with a frustrated sigh, wearily rubbing her temple as she sank into her chair. She looked exhausted and Madoka wanted to do what she could to make her feel better.

“Um sorry if this isn’t my place to ask, but would I be able to join the student council, Mami? I’m pretty useless at most things so I might not be of that much use, but I want to help out you and Homura the way you helped me.” Madoka stammered earnestly, flushing awkwardly as though she was confessing her love. Her heart sinking as the senior girl turned away and replied in a voice pained and distant, her frame haloed by the setting sun as she stared out the window.

“It isn’t all charming little teatimes like most of this week; there’ll be hard work as the year gets busier, and you’ll likely have to endure worse arguments between Miss Akemi and myself.”

But when Mami turned around, joyful tears in her eyes, Madoka felt her heart soar past the horizon.

“But, despite all that I had been planning to ask you myself before you went and beat me to it. Truly I’d love to have you on board Miss Kaname, and I’m sure Miss Akemi would too.”

“Are you sure Mami? I can be kind of an awkward mess, are you sure I won’t just get in the way?”

“I think you’ll be a wonderful fit Miss Kaname” Mami replied, barely able to contain her beaming. Yet despite Madoka still feeling unsure of herself, she found herself giddily grinning as the blonde’s encouragement infected her.

Staring at her peppy underclassman in that moment, an idea struck Mami Tomoe, an elfin glint glimmering in her amber eyes as she took the short girl’s hands with glee. “Hey, why don’t you be my campaign manager? It’ll be a good opportunity for you to get a better taste of our work.”

“What? No, I couldn’t possibly, I wouldn’t even know what to do” Madoka protested, completely taken off guard by the sudden responsibility being offered to her.

“Oh, it’s easy; you just have to help place a couple of posters and deliver a short speech introducing me at the election.” The older girl dismissed her worries with a wave of her hand as though they were nothing “I helped my senior with hers back when I was only a first year, so trust me you’ll be fine. Plus, I want to work with you.”

“But why me? We’ve only just met this week?”

“Because I can tell you have a good heart, and you genuinely want to help people, which is more than I could say for most. Plus, I think you have far more courage than you give yourself credit for; you stood bravely between Miss Akemi and I, even as the flames of our conceit were threatening to burst.” Her words were warm and true, her smile soft with admiration, which slid into mischief as she continued with a wink “And it’ll be a good excuse for me to get to know my cute new underclassman even better.”

Madoka’s face quickly heated to match her hair and she desperately stammered to find an excuse to shift the subject “W-what about Homura?”

“Oh, she’s refused every time I’ve asked; you heard her earlier, she’s intent on running for President and I doubt anything would convince her otherwise.”

“No, um I meant, who’s her campaign manager?”

Mami’s beaming face fell as reality hit, and again a shadow of lonesome sorrow fell upon it briefly, before being veiled by a hollow smile.

“Oh, I’m sure she’s planning to run by all by herself” The effervescent cheer in her voice flattened by barely contained disappointment “But perhaps you should check and see if she would like your help, she’s probably too stubborn to ask you herself, but perhaps she might lighten up a bit if she had you by her side. But if she says no, I would love to work with you Miss Kaname, I’m sure you’ll be a great help.” Her voice cracked with vulnerability as she finished speaking and she looked somehow different; her hair glowing in the gentle warmth of the afternoon sun, she looked as tender as a lamb, yet her smile trembling with barely repressed longing, looked more genuine than any Madoka had seen from her before.

She found herself staring enraptured and unsure, completely at a loss for what to say, but more convinced than ever that she wanted to help this strange, completely charismatic girl before her.

That said, her reinforced conviction did nothing to help her find the right words and she remained dumbstruck until Mami broke the silence, her presidential mask calcifying over the marks of vulnerability as she spoke again, the firm brightness restored to her voice.

“Have a think about what I asked and let me know when you’ve made your decision, okay? I’ll give you my number, so you can contact me when you do.”

“Ah, sure” Madoka fumbled in her bag for her phone to save Mami’s details, mentally praying she didn’t somehow break this phone as well before she could contact her. Mami smiled affectionately at the small animal charm hanging from the bottom of her pink cased phone; it looked exactly how she imagined Madoka would decorate her phone and she found it adorable.

So, it was with a reluctant sigh that she crossed her arms and sweetly pressured the younger girl to leave.

“Well you should run along Miss Kaname and meet Miss Akemi as you promised, I’ll stay here and clean on my own.”

“Are you sure Mami? I could help you pack up and you could come with us?” Madoka fretted, not wanting to burden her newfound friend with extra work, nor exclude her from a social outing. But Mami just shook her head with a bemused smile and looked at the younger girl with such affection; she really was too precious for Mami to bear.

 “Madoka, you really are too kind” She sighed jovially, torn between teasing her and wrapping her in her arms, Mami pushed her away with a teasing grin “I’ve already stolen enough of your time from poor Miss Akemi, she’s probably impatiently waiting for you and cursing me as we speak. Now come on, off you trot, we can speak again when you’ve come to a decision”

And with an awkward chirp of affirmation Madoka left the room with a slight bow, stealing one final glance at the curly haired blonde, glowing golden in the evening sun as she departed.

………

As Mami had predicted, Homura was irritably waiting near the shoe lockers, one draped arm across her chest, the other propping up her open novel and a mild frown on her face.

“Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting!” Madoka called out as she jogged clumsily to up her.

“It’s fine. What did Tomoe want to talk to you about?” She inquired coolly, the slight jealousy in her face obvious as she placidly placed her book back into her messenger bag.

“Oh, nothing really, she just wanted to talk about joining the student council.” She lied believing that the truth would either irritate her friend or make her feel guilty, both outcomes she would prefer to avoid.

“I see” she replied flatly “Are you intending to?”

Madoka finished putting on her dainty shoes and spoke, “I think so. After watching you and Mami this week it inspired me to join so I can help people the way you do.”

Unlike Mami, Homura had no words of encouragement, instead she stayed silent and turned away, hiding conflicted grimace as they made their way outside.

“Um Homura, this might not be my place to ask but do you need a campaign manager for the election?”

Homura’s hair bristled at this and she stopped in her tracks and looked down at the dirt floor, a bitter smile on her lips and her eyes hidden behind her brow.

“So, that’s what Tomoe put you up to… No, I was intending to run alone” Hostility fizzed in her gullet as she felt Tomoe’s misguided pity pressing upon her. Yet despite herself, Homura found her cold voice verbally reaching out to Madoka with pleading hands “Were you offering to be mine?”

Instead, she found those fingers crushed as the innocent girl responded with kindly guilt

“I don’t know if I can. I mean, I’m not really sure I’m qualified to help in the first place, and also Mami asked me to be hers and I’d feel really bad turning her down. But maybe I can help you find someone else to help you instead; perhaps Sayaka or Hitomi could–”

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine on my own.” Homura cut her off with icy venom, scoffing sourly as she continued “Frankly I consider the position meaningless and find Tomoe’s insistent wheedling about the matter deeply sad, if I’m telling the truth.”

Madoka’s mood plummeted listening to Homura’s baleful growls, confused tears threatening to emerge as she stood dumbfounded, unsure how her friend could curdle so after she was so sweet the past few days together.

“Why are you so mean to her Homura?” Fighting past the lump in her throat Madoka spoke with willowy courage, desperate to know what Mami did to wound her; the blonde senior seemed kind and funny and charming, she just couldn’t understand why Homura seemed so intent on eviscerating her.

“Because she isn’t as perfect as she acts… And I don’t want you to get hurt by trying to be like her…” Her words said less than the sorrowful tone that she spoke in, and while Madoka didn’t fully understand what she meant, she could tell Homura acted more from protective fear than hatred, but still it bothered her.

She desperately wanted to speak up and try to figure out why her dark haired companion acted so cold, but her timidity froze her long enough for their privacy to be disrupted by a familiar cry.

“Hey, hurry up you two!” Sayaka called out beckoning them towards the school gate where she and Hitomi stood. “Geez what took you so long?”

“Sorry, President Mami wanted to talk to us for a bit after the meeting.” Madoka apologised awkwardly, her mind still reeling from her now interrupted argument with Homura “Where’s Kyosuke, wasn’t he walking with us today?”

“Kamijo had to go on ahead, or else he’d miss his violin lesson.” Hitomi explained

“Yeah, cause you guys took so long! Ah well guess it’ll just be us four as usual.” Sayaka sighed in frustration oblivious to the tension that they stumbled into.

Or she was until Homura decided to stride furiously past the group, not looking back at them as she exited the school.

“Hey Homura, wait up! Weren’t you coming with?” The tomboy cried out as she chased after her, Hitomi and Madoka slowly following behind (Madoka especially found herself lagging from mild dread).

“Sorry, but I have work to do. You all might have time to waste on sentimental follies, but I’m heading home to study and if I’m being honest, you three should do the same, especially you Miss Kaname — you’re already starting several weeks behind, if you waste more time goofing around rather than catching up, you’ll fall completely by the wayside.” Each word was a cutting barrage to Madoka and when she was finished, Homura Akemi gave a dismissive flick of her long black hair and walked away without saying goodbye, leaving Madoka to nurse her wounds in silence.

“Well, she was certainly rude wasn’t she?” Hitomi scoffed haughtily when she was gone, annoyed at being dismissed like that; even if she hadn’t particularly wanted to spend time with Akemi in the first place, it was the principle of things that she found insulting.

Sayaka however rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment when she saw the pained and dour look on Madoka’s face.

“Guess we interrupted something huh?” she laughed it off in typically self-effacing fashion “Would you like to talk about it Madoka?”

“No, it’s okay, I think I messed things up in the first place.”

“You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it, given the way she acted I’m sure she was being unreasonable.” Hitomi encouraged with a gentle smile that belied how inconsiderate her comment sounded.

“Yeah, I suppose so” Madoka demurred, quickly changing the subjects, feeling deep shame for making her friends witness something so uncomfortable “So how was band Sayaka?”

“You’re not going to ask Hitomi how her tea party was instead?” Sayaka deflected bashfully as they begun to walk home together

“It’s a traditional tea ceremony Sayaka! I’ve told you that a hundred times before!” Hitomi snapped, her emerald eyes deeply miffed “Anyway you’ve always told me it’s deeply boring when I’ve told you about it in the past.”

“I mean it is, but I’d prefer to listen to that then talk about band”

“Why?” Madoka inquired

“Eh, it was an embarrassing mess honestly; I kept screwing up during this one song and the teacher yelled at me in front of everyone because of it.” She groaned looking deflated “It’s enough to make me want to quit, especially since I’d just be dragging Kyosuke down if I can’t get it right.”

“Why don’t you ask him to tutor you?” Madoka suggested, again pushing her friend to finally pursue her crush, being disappointed to see Sayaka hadn’t made any progress with him in the years she’d been away.

“No, I couldn’t do that, he’s really busy with his own practise and I’d just be a bother if I asked him to help out with my amateurish playing.”

“Oh, you mustn’t quit over something like that, Sayaka!” Hitomi scrunched her mouth up in concern “How many times must I tell you that you are far better than you give yourself credit for! But you are right it would probably be best not to disturb Kamijo, he is already under a lot of pressure with his scholarship as it is.”

“Yeah I guess so, Hitomi.” Sayaka replied, not really meaning what she said and quickly shifting the topic away from herself “Anyway Madoka you’ve probably had a more exciting time than either of us, so how was sitting in on the student council been?”

“It’s been good, I’m thinking of joining” Madoka replied bashfully, feeling embarrassed that she signed up after dismissing the idea at the beginning of the week.

“So, what do you think about President Tomoe then, now her arch rival’s not here to scowl at you?” she asked with a grin

“She’s really charming and stylish.” Madoka gushed “When we first met, she saved me from tripping over by catching me by the hand; it was really cool, it was like she was a prince straight out of a fairy tale.”

“Oh, geez Madoka, don’t tell me you’ve already fallen for her?” Sayaka teased, poking her ribcage as they walked along the footpath “No wonder Homura is mad at you.”

“Does she really dislike her that much?”

“It would seem so.” Hitomi explained turning to look back at the pair as she walked slightly ahead. “Their arguments have been notorious ever since Miss Akemi became Vice President halfway through last year.”

“Eh, I’m sure it’s not that bad, they seem to work together rather well.” Sayaka assured her, noticing the worry seeping from Madoka’s face. “It’s probably more rumour than anything. I’m sure Homura will get over your little crush on the Pres eventually.”

“I don’t have a crush on her.” Madoka protested, though she knew she was mostly lying.

“Haha sure you don’t. Unfortunately, you’ll have plenty of competition — nearly everyone here adores her; she’s kind and reliable and always does well on almost every exam, basically the ideal student council president in every way.”

“She asked me to help her campaign for the upcoming election…” Madoka confessed, blushing with quiet pride

“What? Really?” Sayaka cried out shocked, her disbelief only increasing when Madoka squeaked out in affirmation

“Yeah”

“Huh wild. Despite half the school being in love with her, she doesn’t really seem to be close to anyone outside of the student council. I wonder why she asked you? Are you going to say yes?”

“I would be wary of accepting Madoka.” Hitomi warned her voice tense as she spoke “There are some nasty rumours about her; one of my seniors in the Tea Ceremony Club says she was nearly fired for seducing a first-year girl who joined the council.” Their green-haired friend had always been somewhat high-strung about queerness, largely due to her old-fashioned parents; something that left Madoka awkwardly fearing how her friend would react if she found out about the kisses she shared with a girl back in England.

Luckily, her fears were temporarily quashed by her other childhood friend bursting in to tease Hitomi’s fearmongering.

“God Hitomi you act as though President Tomoe’s gonna kidnap her in a white van or something.” The blue-haired girl playfully elbowed Madoka in the ribs (it was likely she truly wanted to do it to their wealthy friend but recognised that Hitomi wasn’t particularly appreciative of Sayaka’s more handsy teasing; unfortunately, this meant Madoka ended up her surrogate). “I mean Madoka looks pretty easy to kidnap, but I doubt she has anything to fear from the Pres, that girl seems nearly as straightlaced as you, no matter what some stupid rumours say.” 

‘She isn’t really though — she’s kinda got a teasing personality and can even be a bit of a flirt.’ Madoka thought to herself, amused that she seemed to know more about this famous third year than most of the student body.

“I’m serious Sayaka! Remember how Vice President Mikuni quit halfway through last year? Well apparently, she left in protest because something untoward happened between President Tomoe and a first-year girl! And I don’t want that happening to Madoka!” Somehow even while she was exclaiming in shrill exasperation, her strict upper-class upbringing shone through in her delicate manner of speech.

Unfortunately for poor Hitomi, it had the opposite effect of what she wanted, for her carefully chosen words made her seem all the more prudish and absurd for panicking over salacious rumours about a girl she barely knew.

“Hitomi, I’ll be fine” Madoka consoled the worried girl between awkward giggles “Mami’s been nothing but nice so far and no matter what happened with her in the past, I can’t imagine it’s half as bad as you say. Anyway, what does it matter if she’s gay?” I mean, I am. She wanted to add, but found the words dying unspoken on her tongue; she already feared that she ruined things with Homura, and she didn’t want to lose another friend today.

“It’s not about her being gay! I just fear she might use her position to take advantage of you.”

“Don’t worry Tomes, even if Madoka does get kidnapped I’ll just come save her” Sayaka joked and proceeded to tickle her short pink-haired bestie drawing uncontrollable laughter out of the girl “Like I’d let someone steal my wife, after being separated from her for so long.”

Madoka giggled and begged for mercy, while Sayaka gleefully refused; Hitomi however was less than amused and pouted at the pair, looking particularly annoyed at Sayaka for making light of her concerns.

“Fine, don’t listen to me then. You can do what you want Madoka but do be careful.” Her voice was tense but irritated, carrying the same energy as a parent saying I’m not mad, just disappointed. As she continued her voice became shriller and shakier, verging towards a tantrum. “Now, I’m heading home to study as Miss Akemi suggested, and you better do the same Sayaka, your grades are already bad enough without you wasting time messing around with Madoka. And don’t you dare come crawling to me for help after you made fun of me.”

With her hysterically tear-filled speech over, she turned and ran away.

“Hey Hitomi, don’t be like that!” Sayaka called out in vain, knowing her friend wouldn’t stop, nor turn to face them “Ah well, I guess I messed up again.”

Despite Madoka’s best efforts to avoid an argument with another friend, it seemed like she caused one between Sayaka and Hitomi, and all she could do was sadly apologise.

 “I’m sorry I caused you and Hitomi to fight, Sayaka…” her voice sounded flat and defeated “I just wanted the four of us to hang out like old times…”

“Eh don’t worry Madoka, you know what Hitomi is like — remember how she used to run off screaming ‘girls can’t love girls’ when we’d joke around back in middle school? At least she didn’t leave her bag behind this time.”

But when Madoka remained troubled even after her reassurance, Sayaka awkwardly rubbed the back of her head and spoke again.

 “I’ll give her a call tonight to apologise once she’s calmed down a bit, I probably will need her help studying anyway. But you shouldn’t feel guilty at all Madoka, she was being rude to you, even if she was trying to be protective.”

The pink-haired girl forced herself to smile though the sadness remained in her ruby eyes. Sayaka was right she supposed, Hitomi always had been a little dramatic and whenever she’d break down, Sayaka would always somehow intervene and make things better with an earnest smile and a self-deprecating joke. For as much as Homura had changed, it was nice to see her other friends were still much the same and that brought some truth to her smile.

“So, tell me the truth, what really happened between you and Homura?” Sayaka inquired as they walked alongside the river below, peering in closely, beckoning her to reveal some secret now they were alone.

“I don’t know honestly… Maybe Hitomi was right…” Madoka replied unsure “At times she seemed exactly like the Homura I knew, but then she could be so cold at times; she’s way more confident now but can be kinda intimidating too.”

Sayaka smiled at her sympathetically and reached out to pat her short friend on the head.

“I was worried that might happen. She just became far more serious after you left; I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise of looking after her.” Sayaka apologised with a shielding simper, her cerulean eyes shimmered with regret as she spoke; silently recalling Madoka’s words before she went away — “Look after Homura for me okay, she’s a sweet girl really, she just needs friends to stand by and support her.”

“I did try y’know, it was just hard; we ended up in different grades and something must have happened to her, cause one day she just started pushing Hitomi and me away.” Madoka’s face drooped further with every word she spoke, so Sayaka changed tracks and tried to pep up her childhood friend with forced positivity “But hey, don’t beat yourself up. It might not seem like much but seeing her hanging with you again was the best I’ve seen her in years. Maybe she just needs some time to get used to you being back and she’ll lighten up again.”

“Maybe…” As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, Madoka wasn’t convinced “I don’t think she was happy Mami asked me to be her campaign manager…”

“Do you think she’s jealous?” Sayaka teased softly, drawing a shrug from the melancholy girl.

“Possibly… I would have offered to be hers, but Mami asked me first and I’d feel bad turning her down…”

“God you are too nice Madoka.” Sayaka chuckled wearily “I guess it makes sense she’d be mad — I mean, you must’ve witnessed at least one of their legendary shouting matches, so you can imagine how bitter she must feel seeing her long-lost friend helping out her nemesis.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t help out Mami?” Madoka sounded almost ready to burst into confused tears, as she struggled to navigate the web of drama she was caught in.

“No, if you want to help Tomoe, you should. And the way you spoke about her, it sounds like you do.” Her voice was warm and encouraging, her words delivered with straightforward maturity that was surprising to hear from the lively girl “Homura will get over it, she’ll pout and be snappy, but I’m sure she’s secretly just glad to have you back. Maybe her and Tomoe just need someone sweet like you to help smooth out the differences between them.”

“Thanks, Sayaka, but I’m not sure… I kinda fear I’m just gonna get in the way and make things worse.”

“Give yourself more credit Madoka; in your first week you managed to charm one of the most popular girls at school so much she asked you to be her right-hand man for her election campaign.” Sayaka gently pulled her into a fraternal headlock and tussled her peachy hair playfully “Who knows by the end of the year, you might have transformed them into a happily married couple.”

Madoka giggled in her grasp, her childhood friend always knowing how to make her feel somewhat better, her mood remaining high as they whimsically walked home together.

………

Unfortunately, her doubts returned as soon as she was alone in her room and Madoka found herself fretting about everything that happened the day before. Things were okay at dinner with her parents, their company helping to keep her mind off things and it was fun telling them about the highlights of her day — though she avoided all the negatives that came with these, not wanting to bog them down in her problems while they were still readjusting from the trip home. Junko was especially proud when she heard her daughter had joined the student council, cheering her on for following in her footsteps.

However, when she retreated back to the quiet of her room to study, her mind ended up being far too swamped with worry to get any work done. She tried to read her text book, but found it impossible to focus, the words getting lost in the fog of her mind, as she involuntarily returned to the troubles that plagued her.

Everything began on such a nice note, she didn’t get why it ended up like this. Homura had been so sweet and kind at the start of the week, she couldn’t understand why she had been so unrelentingly frigid to Mami, especially since she had seemed so joyful when they first met again. Her embrace had been so vulnerable and warm, Madoka just couldn’t understand why she insisted on inflicting these icy thorns on everyone, including herself. Perhaps she had changed for the worst, but despite all she had seen, Madoka just couldn’t accept that the Homura she knew was gone completely.

Though that hope made the venom in Homura’s voice sting even more, and a twinge of frustration grew in retaliation — why did she have to be so stubborn? It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help her, Mami had just asked her first and it didn’t feel right letting down her new friend like that, especially when she had seemed so vulnerable when she’d asked.

She sighed on her bed irritated at how petty this political drama seemed and she questioned if she really wanted to get involved. But then she remembered Mami and how charismatic and caring she had been, and how hard she toiled to aid those in need, and in the end Madoka didn’t want to let her down. As she stared at her number on her phone, Hitomi and Homura’s warnings about the older girl rang in her mind and she paused for a second, wondering ‘What if they are right?’

‘So what?’ Another voice spoke in her head, pushing back against her doubts as she recalled the fragile hints of tenderness she saw beneath the mask. ‘Who cares if she’s not perfect? You knew that already and you want to know her better regardless.’

Drawing every drop of courage from her heart, she poured them all into a message and sent it through to her precious new senior.

[Hey Mami, I’ve given it some thought, and I’d love to be your campaign manager if you’d still have me.]

After less than five minutes her phone buzzed in rapid succession and Madoka found herself smiling at the blonde’s ecstatic response.

[Really??]

[Ahhh, thank you Miss Kaname!!]

[I’m elated to hear it o(* ﾟ ▽ ﾟ*)o]

[I’ll see you next week for your first proper Council meeting, ok? ( ✿◠‿◠)]

Madoka laughed at the messages, she really didn’t expect Mami to use cute little faces in her texts, especially alongside the expected formality. The third year could be really cute at times.

Rereading the messages over and over again, Madoka found her doubts fade away and she sent a message back with satisfied bliss.

[See you then, Mami-senpai!]

Chapter Text

By the midpoint of the next week, Madoka had settled nicely into working with the student council. Despite Mami’s warnings otherwise, it mostly consisted of having tea at the current stage. True, she often found herself helping the two presidents, delivering paperwork and what-not, (not to mention her role helping Mami’s election campaign). But despite all the busyness, Madoka found the work largely enjoyable. Especially the moments of peace found in the quiet little council room when the afternoon sun would shine blissfully down upon her and her senpai, as they relaxed with one of the senior’s favourite blends.

Unfortunately, those moments were often shadowed by a cloud of bitter regret, as things between her and Homura remained uncomfortable. They were no longer walking home together since their argument last week, instead Homura maintained an icy distance between them at all times, even when Madoka was trying her best to bridge the ravine. The pink haired girl spent the weekend convincing herself things would be okay and the pair would be able to smooth everything over if they just talked it out. But whenever she built up the courage to broach the subject, Homura quickly brushed her off.

“What is there to say? You made your decision to aid Tomoe.” She spoke with a chilling air of aloof resentment, her soft lavender eyes staring at her with a distant intensity before she turned and walked away dismissively. “Now if you excuse me, I have my own campaign to run. And you best head off to help Tomoe, else she’s like to fall behind on her own.”

It was lucky then that her relationship with Mami only seemed to be getting better. Although she was still unsure how helpful she really could be to the charismatic blonde, the time she spent together with Mami quickly became the bright spot in her days. Madoka found herself cherishing every moment they spent together, even if much of that time was spent making posters and distributing fliers. There were still plenty of issues that made her doubt that she was suited to being in the role Mami had chosen for her (for instance: she tended to stammer a bit, especially when talking to older students). But, whenever she started doubting herself, the older girl would shoot her a reassuring smile and she’d find the motivation to redouble her efforts, spreading the good word of Mami’s campaign to as many students as she could reach.

At one point, Madoka even encountered Mami’s main rival, Oriko, in the corridor while she was hawking the campaign during lunch break. Oriko Mikuni was a fairly tall girl with a flowing sea of platinum blonde hair and an air of imposing elegance that just screamed of private school tuition. She had ironically approached Madoka to promote her own campaign, reaching out to her with a gentle sounding voice and refined tone as though she were a professional.

“Hello there, I’m Oriko Mikuni, one of the candidates for Student Council President. Are you a first year by any chance? You certainly seem new?”

“No, I’m just a bit lost is all.” Madoka had laughed bashfully, slightly startled at being suddenly confronted by this girl, who had up until this moment, been but an ominous figure in her life. Only ever being spoken about in harsh tones by Homura and Mami, not someone she had felt prepared to meet.

“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t I guide you to where you’re trying to go? That way, I can fulfill my unfortunate duty and ask if you’d consider voting for me in the upcoming elections on the way there.”

“Oh, I’m actually helping out with another campaign at the moment, so I’m afraid I can’t.”

On initial impression, Madoka found herself surprised by how pleasant she seemed after all the negative things she’d heard about her; she spoke with such casual ease, yet she, like Mami, had this beguiling intensity to her that made it hard to look away. However, all that changed when Oriko heard her reply; her lips curling up into a fox-like grin, her voice sizzling with venom as she spoke again.

“Ah, so you’re Tomoe’s new pet.” She said with a predatory smirk as she ready to depart. “Well, since you are so close to Tomoe, you shouldn’t need me to guide you at all, as she’s surely shown you around already or has our great president decided to neglect even her new toy?”

Turning to look behind her, she bid a cruel farewell over her shoulder. “Good luck dealing with your candidate Miss Kaname, you may need it.”

Mami however proved practically perfect in her pitch, so that luck, sarcastic or not, appeared to be unnecessary. Her air of charming sensibility seemed as though it would be enough to convince most people she was the perfect candidate (at least it convinced Madoka), but the way she engaged them one-on-one made nearly everyone feel they were important and that if she were re-elected, she would bring them the greatest student experience possible.

That said, it didn’t make it any easier for Madoka to compose a speech for the day — Mami seemed so perfect and qualified on her own that she didn’t know what she could say. This was an anxiety she confessed to Sayaka one day after school as they waited for Hitomi.

Apparently, the green-haired girl skipped her club meeting in order to watch and provide moral support for Sayaka’s band practise. However, her ‘treachery’ struck after it ended, and the teacher asked Kyosuke to deliver a message to the staffroom. Despite knowing all about Sayaka’s long held crush on the violin prodigy, Hitomi volunteered to accompany the brunet alone, leaving Sayaka to vent with Madoka in bitter solitude by the shoe racks while her best friend spent time with her crush.

“Damn it Hitomi, she knows I rarely get a chance to be alone with him; why did she have to go and steal it?”

True to form, Hitomi and Sayaka had made up the day after their argument and their friendship returned to its usual routine of Sayaka messing around and Hitomi tutting responsibly (something that unfortunately couldn’t be said for Madoka and Homura). While now it seemed, it was Sayaka’s turn to be annoyed at her bosom buddy, Madoka knew Sayaka was unlikely to make a scene out of it the way Hitomi would. And once she had indulged in a few minutes of petty indignation, Sayaka quickly switched subjects with a sigh and a smile.

“Well, that’s enough of my whining, how’s the campaign going?”

The blue-haired girl had always been a bit self-sacrificing, never complaining too much about her troubles, only ever really venting to Madoka, and even then, it was always in a somewhat playful manner. She was a kind girl truly, often appearing more comfortable listening to other’s problems than asking for help with her own.

(Well, except when it came to asking Hitomi for help with her homework.)

“Do you think you’ll be ready for the election?”

“Honestly… I don’t know. Mami is doing wonderfully all by herself. If anything, I’m afraid I’m just dragging her down with my awkwardness.” Madoka admitted sighing painfully “I haven’t even begun properly writing my speech yet, I just don’t know what I could even say. Everyone already knows her better than I do, what can I even say that will convince them to vote for her?”

“I don’t know about that Madoka — I think there’s a good chance you know her better than most of the people at this school.”

Madoka looked at her sceptically, earning an eye roll from her tomboy friend.

“Look Madoka, anyone could tell you that she’s well-spoken and pretty; that she always has great grades and basically never misses a day and is all around basically just the perfect student; but that’s probably all they could say. Like I’ve only ever spoken to her a couple of times in passing and I could tell you she seems nice and cool, but not much more than that — but you Madoka, you’ve been working closely with her the past week, so you probably have a better idea of what makes her tick than most of us. Plus, Tomoe herself asked you to help with her campaign herself, so she must see something in you; just draw on whatever that is and you’ll do fine.”

“But I don’t know what that is!” Madoka protested, rejecting Sayaka’s reassuring hand on her shoulder. “What if I mess up and embarrass her in front of the whole school?”

“God, you’re taking this so seriously” Sayaka laughed, playfully ribbing her childhood friend. “Are you worried everyone will find out about that massive crush you keep denying you have?”

Madoka paused and gave a self-conscious pout at the teasing, before replying in an embarrassed murmur, “…is it really that obvious?”

“I mean, it’s like, pretty obvious.” Sayaka smiled as she nudged her friend. “Madoka, you practically swooned telling us about how she saved you like a ‘fairy tale prince’.”

Madoka had always worn her heart on her sleeve, but Sayaka had never really seen her develop a crush like this, so she was relishing the chance to tease her the way Madoka often had over Kyosuke. However, when she saw Madoka’s anxious puppy eyes, she felt a pang of guilt and hastily switched to reassurance.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed, I’m pretty sure half the school’s got one — Tomoe’s kind of a babe under the perfect student image. Plus, unlike most of her admirers, you might actually have a shot given she seems interested in you too.”

“You don’t think gay thing would be a problem…” While her parents had been nothing but supportive when she came out, Madoka was still somewhat anxious how her most of peers would react.

“I think most people would be cool with it, there might be some assholes who’d make a fuss, but if they give you any trouble, I’d just beat them up for you.” Sayaka attempted to buoy her fears with her usual protective boasting, and while it vaguely helped, the worry remained scrunched up on poor Madoka’s face. Letting her bravado fall, Sayaka looked sympathetically down at her eternally diminutive friend with a tender smile.

“Okay, Hitomi might be kinda weird about it at first, but I’m sure she’ll get over it; I mean we’ve been friends forever, I can’t believe she’d throw that away just because her parents are stuffy about things like that.”

Maybe not, but I’m not sure I want to deal with her trying to ‘save me’. Madoka thought, though she kept her mouth shut, afraid to verbalise her feelings, and quickly turned the conversation back to her original crisis.

“Well, none of that will even matter if Mami-senpai’s campaign falls apart because I mess up my speech.”

“You won’t.” The tomboy assured her while mussing her pink hair. “Anyway, if you are really struggling you can just ask Tomoe for help, I doubt she’d refuse.”

Then with an impish gleam, she suggested, “Hell, that way you could get her alone and make a date out of it.”

“What are we making a date of?” Mami’s light voice inquired from behind, teasing the pair out of their little world as they turned to see her smiling, surprised to see Hitomi and Kyosuke following close behind her.

“Hey Sayaka, sorry for keeping you waiting. Oh hey there Madoka, it’s good to see you again.” The violinist waved to the pair before immediately resuming the conversation he was having with Hitomi, though her green eyes would occasionally trail away from his gaze to spy on Sayaka, who was far too busy questioning the senior in her brash manner to notice.

“Tomoe-senpai! What on earth are you doing with those two?”

“Oh, just passing streams, I encountered Miss Shizuki and Mr. Kamijo having difficulties finding Mrs. Takamachi, so I aided them in what little way I could.”

“Oh yes, Ms. Tomoe was very helpful. When she heard we were coming to meet up with you, she insisted on coming along to say hello.” Hitomi piped up pleasantly, causing Sayaka to roll her eyes and think ‘Hitomi, you little sycophant, what happened to her being ‘dangerous’?’

“And it seems like that was the right decision, since apparently Miss Kaname is in dire need of my assistance.” Mami teased, eyeing the pink and blue pair with prying curiosity like a mother trying to wheedle the truth out of guilty children. It induced nothing short of incoherent stuttering from the ribbon-adorned girl, who was far too busy blushing about what Mami had overheard to give a straight answer. Luckily, Sayaka came to her rescue and explained in a boyish tone:

“Yeah, well you see, Madoka’s been having trouble writing her speech for the election, but she’s too shy to ask you for help with it. So, as her best friend it’s my solemn duty to ask you for her.” Then she scooped an arm behind her back and pushed Madoka forward, as if to pass off the burden after forcing her off first base. “And with that, my job is done”.

“Sayaka!” Madoka chirped back at her azure-eyed friend as she retreated mischievously to intrude upon Hitomi and Kyosuke’s conversation instead, leaving Madoka to fend for herself.

“My my, Miss Kaname you needn’t be so bashful” Mami just laughed at their antics, thinking silently to herself that Madoka’s shyness was adorable. “Of course I’ll help you with it. After all, you’re helping me far more by being my campaign manager in the first place.”

“Ah, I’m not doing that much.” Madoka protested humbly, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment as she found herself unable to meet those amber eyes without the red in her cheeks blooming to epidemic levels.

“Miss Kaname please, you’re doing a wonderful job. Don’t put yourself down like that, I wouldn’t be able to do it without you.” Mami reassured her, giving Madoka another one of those dazzling looks that swept her off her feet.

‘How on earth was she so charming?’

She knew it was in part an act; that Mami was just trying her best to be the perfect senior, but there was this genuine gratitude hidden behind the theatre which touched her tender heart.

“Now are you free on the weekend? If so, perhaps we can work through the matter over some tea and cake at my home.”

With a slight tilt of her head, Mami beamed down at Madoka, who’s heart had all but stopped and waited for an answer.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to…” Mami replied with fragile warmth when Madoka didn’t respond after a few seconds, the disappointment tangible on her breath, waking Madoka out of her stupor.

“No, I’d love to!!” Madoka blurted out, her cheeks glowing with excitement at the thought; silently cursing that she’d almost thrown away a beautiful opportunity to learn more about Mami in her lovestruck anticipation.

“Oh good, well let’s say sometime after lunch on Saturday? I’ll message you the details.” From the fluffy tone of her voice it seemed Mami was nearly as excited as she was. “I’ve got this new tea I’ve been dying to try out, perhaps we can share it if once we make your speech as wonderful as I’m sure it will be.”

“Hey, Madoka are you ready to head off? The honour students are getting antsy fearing they’ll miss their rich kid classes.” Sayaka cried out looking back at the pair as she waited by the entrance with Hitomi and Kyosuke who looked about ready to leave them all behind.

“Coming!” Madoka cried back, hurriedly slipping on her shoes as she “Do you want to come too, Mami-senpai? We’re just walking home together, but it would be nice to continue talking.”

“Perhaps I just might! I’ll probably have to leave you part of the way, but I rarely get a chance to walk home with my peers, so it should be a nice opportunity.”

And with a fluttering smile Madoka headed off to join her friends, her cherished senior following alongside her as they walked through the doors and exited the main building of the school.

“So, what were you two talking about back there?” Sayaka said, sliding back to intrude on Madoka and her crush. “It sounded more interesting than the schoolwork those nerds are talking about.” Sayaka gestured towards the boy and girl ahead of them, clearly bitter that she was made to feel like a third wheel; the alternative didn’t seem like it would be much better, but it at least gave her an opportunity to tease Madoka some more.

“Now Miss Miki, school might seem boring, but I assure you studying is important. And from what I’ve heard you could do a bit more of it.” Mami teased, sweetly greeting her as though she was an old friend.

“Eh, you remembered my name President Tomoe?”

“What kind of president would I be if I didn’t remember my underclassmen, especially after you were so helpful in setting up the band’s stage for the school festival last year?” Mami beamed back at Sayaka’s surprised blue eyes. “Plus Miss Kaname has told me all about you and your struggles with completing homework.”

Hearing this Sayaka stared down Madoka with a glare that said ‘you little snitch’, then quickly turned to mischief as an opportunity presented itself.

“Oh really, well Madoka’s told me plenty about you too?”

“SAYAKA!!!” the short girl exclaimed with worried frustration, jumping at the far taller tomboy in an attempt to cover her mouth; fearing that if she was allowed to continue, she would embarrass her more than she had already done herself. But Mami replied with her usual amused levity, softly laughing as she saw Sayaka ruffle Madoka’s pink fluff.

“Oh, only kind things I’m sure. I’d love to hear all about them, though I’d want it to come from Miss Kaname hersel-…”  She cut herself off as her eyes caught something off in the distance, her voice dropping to sobered murmur as she spoke to herself “…well I say, she actually did it.”

Breaking out of their little friendly little tussle, the squabbling friends turned to see what had stolen Mami’s attention. In the distance Homura stood by bike sheds conversing with a wild looking, crimson-haired girl; they were too far away to make out what they were saying, but given the redhead’s ferocious pantomime, it was clear that they were in the midst of some sort of heated negotiation.

“Should we go check that out Mami-senpai?” Madoka asked, concerned about the slightly mournful look on her senior’s face.

“No, I think it’s for the best I let Miss Akemi handle this on her own.” Her golden eyes shifted to look at her and the sorrow was veiled away as they continued to walk towards the gate. “Besides, I want to hear more about my cute little assistant from her best friend while I have this chance. I assume I can rely on you for that, right Miss Miki?”

“You betcha, Pres!” The pair grinned at each other while Madoka squeaked in protest, questions about Homura’s unknown companion forgotten for the brief while they walked together; anticipation for the weekend growing the whole time.

●●●

Yet as she stood sweating at the threshold of Mami's apartment, said anticipation kept her frozen in place, desperately attempting to build up the courage to ring the bell and head inside the home of her newfound crush. It was silly, she had been to Sayaka’s apartment so many times before without a quarter of her current worriment. Yet here she was fretting like a blushing maid in front of the door, her mind flittering with thoughts about the girl inside and the advice Homura had given her the day before.

It had been at the end of the day when Madoka found herself alone in the council room with Homura on the last day before the weekend. Mami was busy helping the drama club solve another dispute between its senior members, so the pink haired girl expected another sad hour of frosty silence between them. While it certainly settled in for a bit, about 20 minutes in it was suddenly broken by the violet-eyed girl fidgeting uneasily, before rustling out a small set of papers from her bag and offering them to Madoka in her cool monotone.

“Here take these, they’re notes I put together for Tomoe’s campaign listing her positive qualities. Use them if you need help writing a speech.”

“Thank you Homura, I’m sure they’ll be a wonderful help.” Madoka replied bashfully as she glanced down at the notes her old friend had written, surprised she’d offered her them after how distant she’d been the previous days. (Later when she read through the notes on her own, she silently smiled at the positives Homura had listed — ‘despite her routine tardiness, she always completes work on time’ and ‘the cakes she bakes are often quite good’ were among of her favourites.)

“I didn’t devote too much time to them, so they’re only rough, but I hope they can be of use.” Homura demurred, invisibly blushing at Madoka’s gratitude as she spoke. “How’s Tomoe’s campaign going?”

“I think it’s going well, mostly thanks to Mami-senpai of course. You’re probably the better judge though, how do you think things are going?”

“Well Mikuni is better at playing the game than Tomoe; she’s blessed with an almost preternatural sense for politics. However it might work against her here, for she is too well known a schemer for most students to trust. Tomoe is beloved by many but… often distant, so it will be hard to tell whether she will carry her past success through to this one.”

“What about yourself? Has it been lonely campaigning all by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine.” She stubbornly insisted as she stood up. “Now I need to head home, and you should finish that homework, that way you’ll have time to work on the speech unhindered.”

Even if it ended far too soon, talking to Homura again felt nice; she could really be so sweet, even while she was trying to act all cool and detached. It was unfortunate she’d run away like that; Madoka could only wonder if she had said something wrong that pushed her away once more.

 Chiding herself with a sigh, Madoka summoned all the pluck she could muster for the current situation and rang the bell before her. There was a chiming from within and shortly after footsteps came cantering towards the entrance, the door opening to reveal Mami standing inside invitingly. Madoka caught her breath at the sight. This was the first time she had ever seen the blonde out of her school uniform, and she indulged in the image; the president wore a light cream blouse, tucked loosely into a brown plaid skirt and on top of that a sunny yellow apron which beautifully complemented her golden hair. Speaking of her hair, she had forgone her usual twintails in favour of doing it up into a loose ponytail that somehow curled out into a magnificent spiral down onto her right shoulder. She somehow looked so flawlessly pretty, even when she had clearly just been caught in the middle of baking, and it made Madoka feel dangerously basic for just sticking with her usual ribbon-tied pigtails.

“Ah Miss Kaname, please come inside.” Mami’s matronly air was amplified by the apron she was wearing, utterly enhancing the ‘future mother’ energy she seemed to perpetually radiate.

“Sorry if I’m late!” Madoka chattered as she hopped inside, thankful for the cool air inside the apartment as she took off her petite red shoes.

“No, your timing was perfect, I just finished decorating the cake I was making.” Mami replied gayly as she led Madoka down the short entrance hall and into the living room. “I thought we could have it later as a treat for finishing your speech.”

It was quite a cosy little apartment with a slightly Parisian feel to it. On the east side of the room, an old wooden coffee table sat on a soft green mat, cornered by a small L-shaped sofa. Behind that stood two windowed doors, leading out towards a small balcony bathed in the glimmering shine of a late-spring day. Trinkets were scattered haphazardly across the numerous shelves and cabinets around the room, various photos sat framed next to the occasional potted plant or decorative pitcher (or in one instance a half-burnt candle). Other shelves were lined with an assortment of books expected from an academic talent like Mami. Although, despite its meticulous arrangement, it seemed to have been curated curiously — there were cook books, as well as literary classics and poetry collections (several which had titles written in Italian or maybe French), but there was also a queer selection of what appeared to be trashy romance novels (her mother’s perhaps?). Overall, it was clearly a homely little place, yet it seemed somehow lonesome and somehow only half-inhabited.

“Did you have an alright time getting here?” Mami asked as she put the kettle on to boil as they both stood in the small little kitchen at the west end of the apartment.

“It was okay; my dad drove me most of the way. It was a little chaotic in the morning since we had to get mum out of bed to look after Tatsuya, which was a bit of a challenge cause she was still hungover from the night before.” Madoka chuckled lightly as she leaned on the counter, thinking about her mother’s usual half-awake antics when she had ripped the blankets away from her.

“It sounds like quite the scene.” Mami giggled airily as she bustled along gathering out a tray and tea set from the cupboards. “Now I’m just going to finish making us some tea, so please go sit down on the sofa and get yourself settled, Miss Kaname. I’ll join you in just a minute with tea and biscuits, okay?”

With a chirp of affirmation Madoka left the kitchen to do as directed, however shortly after she placed her bag down, a glint of bright yellow in a photo frame caught her eye and she found herself wandering over to a nearby shelf to examine her senior’s treasures up close. Her gaze focusing upon a picture in an aged black frame and the familiar spiral of blonde hair sitting on an unfamiliar face. With tentative hands she picked it up to get a closer look and examined the timid-looking little girl with wavy yellow hair sitting upon the knee of a tall respectable-looking man in a brown pinstripe suit (he shared Mami’s golden eyes, though his hair was more a dusty chestnut than her glamorous gold). However, it was the woman who stood beside him, resting a slender hand on his shoulder, who truly fascinated her gaze — she looked exactly like Mami would in 10 years, or so Madoka thought as she admired her dazzling smile, so reminiscent of the one she’d seen countless times over the past two weeks; only their eyes were different, the woman’s being a sombre shade of ocean blue, rather than the autumnal amber found on her daughter’s visage.

This must be Mami’s family. Madoka smiled to herself, noting how cute little Mami looked posing shyly for the photo.

Yet, despite the smiles on their faces, the whole portrait had that unfortunately stagnant and forced energy so often found in family portraits and Madoka could not help but feel strangely sad staring at it.

“Well, I suppose acquainting yourself with my mementos is one way of getting settled.”  Mami teased coolly from behind her shoulder, making the peach-haired girl jump with surprise; threatening to knock the tray from her senior’s hands as she retreated back towards the couch, instinctively hiding the photo behind her hands.

“Ah I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be rude; I was just curious about your pictures.” Madoka squeaked bashfully. “I was just wondering if it was you in the photo?”

“There’s no need to apologise Miss Kaname, really.” Mami assured her, placing the tray down on the table before turning to stand close before her. “There’s no crime in looking, though I would appreciate it if you gave it back.”

As she coaxed the frame back from Madoka, their hands touched briefly and Madoka couldn’t help but feel how soft, yet cold Mami’s slender fingers were.

“And yes, that was me when I was about 8 years old.” She clarified as she placed it back on the shelf, her voice straining to maintain its composure. “I’m happy my photos interest you, now let’s sit down and have tea, I’m sure it’ll be more enjoyable than that sad old memory.”

“But it was really interesting! You were really cute, Mami-senpai!” Madoka gushed excitedly as she joined her senior, still feeling awkward and giddy about visiting her home. Her imagined image of the Tomoes’ glamorous parties returning in her mind as she spoke. “And were they your parents, they looked so cool and pretty. Where are they? Have they gone out for a glamourous afternoon date?”

Mami tensed at the barrage of questions, her fingers going rigid on the handle of her cup in the middle of her sip, not responding until she slowly placed it back down with a rattle of china.

“No, I’m afraid not… They’re dead actually...” Mami confessed, her voice chilled with distance as she stared away from Madoka’s gaze. “We were in a car accident a few years after that was taken. Somehow, I was the only one who survived...”

There was a dead quiet for a moment as Madoka sat numbed to silence, letting Mami’s words soak into her, as she gazed at the older girl’s shadowed face.

“That’s horrible, I’m so sorry...” Madoka apologised, feeling unsure what else she should say, cursing how insensitive she had been in her anxious exhilaration, fearing she had hurt another girl she cared so much about. But Mami turned to her and gave her one of her sad, forced smiles.

“It’s fine, it happened a long time ago.” Her voice still trembled slightly as she absentmindedly traced her finger across the rim of her cup; the smile on her face doing little to lift the melancholy from her eyes. “I still miss them of course; they were brilliant in so many ways that I’m not. It’s a bit exhausting trying to live up to their legacy if I’m being honest.”

“I think you’re brilliant…” Madoka murmured, tentatively reaching out a tender hand towards Mami’s shoulder as she had done for her a few weeks back.

“Thank you, but I’m really not. At least not compared to them.” She retreated from Madoka’s comfort, her voice distant and almost childlike, fondly rambled on with pained innocence. “Oh, they were both so wonderful… Father was a distinguished prosecutor, you know… Oh, and mother… She was an actress in Italy before she had me… Oh, if only you could have of seen their parties…” Then waking from her sombre reverie, she apologised profusely, the tears in her eyes still glistening like crystal on her face. “Oh gosh Miss Kaname, I’m so sorry, I invited you over to help with your speech and now I am dragging you down with my sob story.”

“Mami, it’s okay...” Madoka didn’t really know want to do, she wanted to reach out and pull the girl into a comforting embrace, but she feared she’d pull away again. Instead, she sat back and gave her the space she seemed to desire. “I’d like to hear more about them one day, if you are okay with telling me.”

“Someday…” Mami smiled back at her, voice still somewhat softened by sorrow, even as its warmth sparked back to life “But for now, we should get a start on your speech.”

While she desperately wanted to find out more; to know the beautiful, sad enigma seated before her; Madoka gave a nod of affirmation and began fumbling through her notes to get down to work.

Chapter Text

The day of the election had finally arrived, and despite her brave façade, Mami was terrified. Everything had been set up for the assembly and the candidates were all gathered and waiting in the wings to present while the student body waddled in to the hall. All were ready bar Mami, as she waited anxiously for her campaign assistant, Madoka, who was yet to arrive.

‘Poor girl.’ Mami hoped she hadn’t pressured her too much. She was sure the girl would manage it if she could just give her the courage to try. Madoka had proved a lot stronger than initially seemed, but still, Mami worried she may have pushed her too hard.

‘What if she doesn’t show?... I’d just have to make do I suppose…’ Though truthfully, she wasn’t sure she could face it alone. Not with so many eyes waiting in expectantly for her to fail…

In her distraction, she found her amber gaze gliding across to the other candidates backstage, staring at them with sad dread. Her former partner, Homura Akemi sat calmly in her designated seat reading a book.

‘I would have spent that time going over my speech one last time, but I suppose one need not worry when you are a prodigy like Miss Akemi.’ She thought with a bitter smile.

 That said, she was not too worried about losing to her; Akemi was a good girl at heart and contrary to what she had so rudely suggested, Mami wouldn’t mind working under her (although the shame of losing to her would sting quite a bit). Anyway, Akemi was likely to get very few votes — the student base largely thought her too stuck up and scary, so no one would seriously consider her a viable option, no matter how prestigious her results were.

No, her true threat was Ms. Oriko Mikuni, the VP she had prior to Miss Akemi, and her seemingly permanent enemy. The girl in question was currently waiting on the opposite side of the stage, leaning against the wall, conversing with her little dark-haired companion, Kirika Kure.

The tall platinum blonde looked regal as ever; her wild sea of silver done up in a neat ponytail that curled down her uniform like a snake. When she saw Mami’s lonely gaze she smirked, before turning back and whispering something likely cruel in Kure’s ear, evoking childish titters from the dark-haired girl.

Mami felt an anxious gulp in the pit of her stomach as she met those calculating eyes. She never wanted such a bitter rivalry with anyone, let alone someone as infuriatingly accomplished as Mikuni. She had actually hoped they might be friends when they first met.

They had so much in common: they both loved tea and baking; both excelled their exams (though Oriko always managed to outplace Mami without fail); and both found themselves gravitating towards the Student Council from the start – Oriko even having been the Council President back at her old private school (a feat Mami had been far too timid to attempt back at her middle school).  But even back when they were first years, Oriko seemed determined to hate Mami for reasons she couldn’t understand. The tall blonde quietly laughed at her idealism, mocking how hard she worked for the council, always speaking to her with an air of elevated smugness and staring right through her with those accursed green eyes of hers. That Mami managed to ingratiate herself so well with the previous Presidents Mifuyu and Yachiyo only added fuel to her hate.

“Since Yacchan and I will be graduating soon, we thought it might be a good idea to see if anyone was interested in taking over for us next year.” President Mifuyu spoke in her usual warm upper-class voice, addressing the gathered council members on that fated day. The white-haired girl was always good at being inviting when it came to giving speeches or leading meetings, even if she was often lazy when it came to actually completing council work.

However, on that day, a lull of quiet fell across the assembled members as she finished, none of them prepared to volunteer. Mami figured that perhaps she might speak up if no one else did, but she was just a first year and she preferred to give her seniors a chance before she spoke. Silently, she was glad Mikuni ended up being absent from this meeting, as she knew she would’ve put herself forth shamelessly if she was.

In the end, it was the blonde tomboy Momoko who reluctantly broke the silence, ever the one to find herself trapped in unfortunate situations.

“I don’t know… I guess I could do it if no one else is wants to, but I was hoping to focus on volleyball next year.”

“Good, your sense of timing would make the council even more disorganised than it is under Mifuyu.” Vice President Yachiyo (and the true mind behind the council) snarked, throwing in a little jab at her wealthy girlfriend’s expense without even lifting her head from the notebook she was writing in.

“HEY!” Momoko protested, her voice in union with Mifuyu’s offended: “YACCHAN!”

But the navy-haired model ignored their annoyance and took a graceful sip from her tea as Mami tried to refocus the conversation.

“Well that’s okay Miss Togame, I’m sure someone here would be qualified?”

“I’m not even gonna consider it. There’s no way the school would let someone like me represent them.” Yachiyo and Mifuyu’s friend and the student council’s resident rebel, Kanae, gruffed facetiously, her dull golden eyes rolling as she spoke. “Anyway, the band wanted to spend more time practising next year. We’ve been getting really good! We might be ready to start playing gigs soon!”

Mami could only smile as she heard Kanae’s usually dour voice spark to life as soon as she began talking about her band. Despite having an unfortunate tendency to intimidate people because of her rough appearance, the blonde girl always looked cute when she began gushing about music. However, she was cut off by the brash cry of another member.

“I’ll do it President Mifuyu! I will be the mightiest President Mitakihara has ever seen!”

No sooner had the boisterous brunette, Tsuruno, finished volunteering, than she was shut down by Yachiyo.

“No, you won’t. Between your training and helping at Banbanzi, you’re barely able to attend meetings as it is. And if I remember correctly, Ms. Tenjou explicitly asked you to focus on the track team next year. So no, you most certainly will not be president.”

Tsuruno mumbled an embarrassed “Oh yeah” in defeat and the awkward quiet frosted over the room once more. Seeing how her partner had frozen every one of the volunteers, the white-haired President kindly stepped in to try and melt away the tension.

“Well, if none of the older girls can do it then perhaps one of the first years could. I mean the search shouldn’t be that hard. I mean Mami is basically the perfect candidate already.” Mifuyu suggested, her smile on the borderline of teasing as she beamed at the golden junior. Mami sat stunned, suddenly feeling all eyes in the room gazing expectantly upon her as her senpai spoke. “Yacchan and I took over when we were only second years, and she already works harder for the council than I ever did.”

“I’m not sure that’s something you should be proud of.” Yachiyo retorted, verbally shooting daggers at her long-time partner, before turning her eyes to glance briefly at their shared junior. Mami met her gaze looking for approval, but instead she found her eyes hard to read, their deep azure speaking of worry instead.

“Well, what do you think Mami? Would you be willing to lead the council when we’re gone?” Mifuyu responded, ignoring the model’s sardonic comment. “Your grades are excellent; you attend every meeting and are a vital help organising every event. Plus, the students generally admire you from what I’ve heard —surely even Yacchan wouldn’t have any objections, given how much you’ve helped her throughout the year!”

Yachiyo did, but she was a least kind enough to save them until they were in private. It still stung to hear her say them, however.

“You shouldn’t run for President. Let Mikuni have the job instead.”

And perhaps she was right, Oriko certainly hadn’t taken kindly to being passed over when she heard about the meeting after the fact. That Mami won in spite of her ferocious campaign drowned that wound in salt.

Either way, things soured between Mami and Yachiyo after that. She just couldn’t understand why the navy-haired senior felt she wasn’t capable, despite choosing Mami to be her campaign manager at the beginning of the year. Even if that failed campaign had been more about teaching Mifuyu a lesson than truly winning, Yachiyo had seemed truly proud of how hard Mami worked — she even said she was proud of her and that she was glad to have her by her side. It wouldn’t be a lie to say Nanami-senpai had once been a mentor to her — possibly even the closest thing she had to a true friend after her parents died. She was certainly one of the only people she ever felt comfortable opening up to about their deaths, likely because Yachiyo had lost her own parents at an even younger age. But after what she had said that day Mami pushed the model away and their friendship slowly rusted away into dust. It hurt to know she didn’t believe in her, even if deep down Mami knew she probably was right not to.

They would still see each other at the council, but there were no more tea dates or shopping trips, just mildly awkward meetings, and strained conversations in the corridor. Eventually even those dried up too. Mami hadn’t heard from her much since she graduated; she knew that she’d broken up with Mifuyu once again and this time it seemed final, but little else. According to Kanae, she became a bit of a recluse after her grandmother died and pushed her white-haired partner away. After she learnt this, Mami spent many a tear-filled night contemplating whether or not she should call to see if she was okay. But somehow, she just couldn’t do it.

All that was in the past now. Yachiyo, Mifuyu and all the other sweet faces from their council days were gone — all that remained from of those days was Mami, Mikuni, and their sour animosity.

Oriko Mikuni’s father was a politician who was found guilty of accepting bribes, embezzling campaign funds and countless other acts of political corruption. He committed suicide shortly after the news broke — fleeing into the grave rather than facing justice for his crimes, leaving his family stained with shame. No one was more marred than his daughter as she went from being a popular and academic student council president, only to lose all that worship once the rumours spread about her father and instead ended up the school’s pariah. That was likely why she decided to transfer to a smaller public school, rather than continuing to endure her private school peers. Perhaps she vainly hoped that the change of scenery would scrub clean the taint smeared on by her father and help her reclaim her past glory.

Somehow her high-ranking uncle managed to avoid lasting damages from his brother’s deeds, but that luck didn’t trickle down to Mikuni unfortunately, and she found herself summarily outcast at her new school as well. At Mifuyu’s suggestion (and against Yachiyo’s advice) Mami had offered her the position of Vice Principle as an olive branch, but all that served to do was saddle her with a bitter and uncooperative second-in-command for the better part of a year. In hindsight, it was clear to Mami that Mikuni would never be satisfied with being just the VP and so her betrayal seemed almost destined. Though it wasn’t until midway through the last year that she finally struck, just a few weeks after that horrible tragedy befell Kyoko’s family.

Following the fire, the redhead stopped attending school and had begun getting into trouble with the police — both things that Mami blamed herself for. They had once had such a close, having a relationship that was almost sisterly, that it was hard not to hate herself for not doing more. She had been the daughter of Protestant preacher, who joined the council because she wanted to help people the way her father did. When she saw that noble fire in her bright eyes, Mami immediately took a liking to the wild choirgirl and took her under her wing just has Yachiyo had done for her. In turn Kyoko gladly stayed by her side and helped keep her sane, filling the bleeding hole that had been left by Yachiyo. Having the sweet-toothed junior as a companion brought joy to Mami’s days. She could be rude and slightly lazy at times, but she looked at Mami with such warm admiration that for a brief moment she felt as cool and charming as her parents had been.  

But all that turned to ash following a fiery conversation outside a police station, the younger girl cutting her off and vanishing into the night after Mami had come to pick her up after learning she’d been arrested for shoplifting. It wasn’t until weeks later that anyone to heard from her again. It seemed she had been living on the streets and Mami wanted to invite her to stay with her, but Kyoko instead retreated into the night like a wounded wolf.

She’d returned school eventually, albeit only ever attending sporadically, but still it was nice to know she was safe. However, they had only even spoken occasionally since she returned; the bond they once being severed, their conversations now terse and awkward, when they’d once been so easy and affectionate. That she wasn’t expelled, despite her constant absences and plummeting grades, was partially thanks to Mami’s regular pleas for the headmaster to have sympathy. But her return did little to erase the sleepless hell Mami endured during her absence and the aftermath of that disappearance left a crack in her defences that Mikuni was quick to exploit.

It must have been a few weeks after the fire… Mami spent most of those weeks anxiously hiding her grief in public and neurotically weeping in private, so the days tended to blur together. She was no stranger to working through pain, but still she found it hard to focus with the fear running rampant in her head, so she inevitably fell behind. In turn the council fell into mild disarray without her to helm it and Mikuni, who had so often elected to ignore Mami’s meetings, decided to call her own.

“What’s going on Mikuni? Why’d you call us here today?” Kanae growled, her violet eyes scrutinising the blonde Vice President with a glare. She had never liked the pompous private school girl and suddenly being dragged into an impromptu intervention hardly helped improve that. She mightn’t have been able to be around much due to her band commitments, but when she was, the punk rocker turned out to be one of Mami’s staunchest allies against Mikuni’s wiles.

“You’re here because I have good reason to believe Tomoe is unsuited to her position, and that it is prudent the council deal with the issue and replace her with a more suitable candidate before her failures get out of hand. Especially in light of Kyoko Sakura’s disappearance.” Mikuni replied coolly, her eyes emerald slits of cunning. “I know it might seem drastic, but surely, you’ve all noticed how distracted Tomoe has been the past few weeks? Our meetings have long been sparse, and her plans always poorly communicated to us, while she hid away doing god knows what with Sakura. And all this while the sports festival is rapidly approaching next month and us practically unprepared, especially now her little assistant has run away.”

It was so unfair… She and Kyoko had only ever spent time together to complete council work. Mami was usually far too busy studying to maintain her grades to do anything else. Even the few times Kyoko had invited her over for dinner with her family, they spent a majority of the time discussing plans for upcoming events. True, Mami tried to keep the meetings few and far between, but only because she knew her peers had other commitments and she didn’t want to bother them. Anyway, it wasn’t as though any of them ever seemed particularly enthused when they did attend meetings. Even old guard like Momoko and Kanae had mostly just been there out of loyalty to Yachiyo and Mifuyu, and likely felt no such commitment to Mami. So why did it matter they were out of the loop? She’d just do most of the work anyway and they could focus on their other interests without worrying about her.

She probably would have attempted to shoulder the entirety of the council’s work had Kyoko not been there to insist on helping. She even convinced her classmate Homura to assist them after she saw her reading in the council room one day while they were working. And for all Oriko’s talk of Mami’s ‘unsuitability’, it wasn’t like she was ever of any help, despite supposedly being her VP. She would regularly cast shade on the meetings Mami led, claiming they wasted the time she could have spent at the Tea Ceremony Club. When she did bother to show up to help, she proved to be largely obstinate and uncooperative, constantly undermining Mami’s suggestions and refusing to follow orders.

“Kirika and I have already discussed privately with Ms. Togame and Ms. Minami and together we came to the conclusion that it was necessary to have an intervention for the sake of the council and the larger student body as a whole .”

“You can’t be serious?” An appalled Mami replied, lines of worry stained onto her face from the recent restless nights. She’d lie awake until dawn some days, thinking that she should have done more, knowing that Kyoko’s breakdown was in part her fault. That guilt was hard enough to deal with and now she had Oriko rubbing it in her face in front of all her peers.

“Deathly so. Not only have you been unreliable for weeks, but I also find it quite unbecoming for the President be involved in so much drama. The poor girl suffered enough with what happened to her family and now I’m hearing there are rumours flying about that you used your position to seduce the poor girl in the months leading up to that tragedy? Rumours, I have good reason to believe I might add.”

Mami tensed, her anger at Oriko’s ignorant claims congealed against her sin — recalling Kyoko’s last tear-filled glare and wondering if she had made her feel pressured to be her friend...

She wanted to scream. To yell that Oriko had no idea what she was talking about and curse her for making a spectacle out of Kyoko’s pain all to sate some petty ambition.

But she couldn’t. It felt perverse discussing her like she was some cautionary tale for them to gawk at, especially so soon after the fire.

Even if their friendship was dead, Mami wasn’t going to betray her trust just to save her own skin. So, she swallowed her pain as she so often done before and spoke again, her voice escaping as an unsteady murmur.

“I see… so what do you all think about this? Ms. Togame, Miss Minami, do you believe I’m the monster Mikuni paints me as?”

There was dead silence as the other girls in the room processed what had occurred. Kanae stood looking out the window, arms crossed, and her perpetual scowl strewn across her face. Momoko and Rena sat together with similarly troubled looks on their faces, clearly both uncomfortably with being dragged into the limelight for such a difficult situation. Meanwhile, Oriko’s pet, Kirika, bounced in her seat looking giddy at her mistress’ scheming. The first year, Akemi Homura however, remained silent, leaning against the wall in the corner of the room reading a book, almost forgotten.

“I mean maybe. It’s not as though any of us know you well enough to tell.” It was Rena, a second year with floss blue hair and tendency to speak with the delicacy of an anxious sledgehammer, who reluctantly broke the silence. “The only person you really ever spent time with was Kyoko and now she’s missing, so it’s not like she can tell Rena otherwise.”

“Hey Rena! Don’t say it like that…. Ah, I don’t know Mami.” Poor bad-timing Momoko spoke next, clearly trying to smooth over the awkward situation she found herself in. “It doesn’t seem like something you’d do, but I can’t be too sure, and it seems like it’d be pretty serious if it were true.”

“If you ask me, it seems kind of stupid to do something like this over a bunch of rumours.” Kanae gruffed, turning her head from the horizon to glare at the scheming blonde.

“What if I told you that they weren’t just rumours and that there is someone who witnessed such an act taking place, here in this very room.”

“I’d say you’re full of shit.” Kanae answered flatly, spiting in the face Mikuni’s particular cruel brand of cunning.

However, Mikuni for her part just snickered at the tough girl’s profanity and called sweetly out the corridor, “Sasa dear, you can come inside now.”

The door opened and a diminutive honey-haired girl entered and strolled to Mikuni’s side with clearly calculated caution. She wore a mask of slimy innocence which practically beggared guilt in its attempts to look pure; something which was echoed by the shrill singsong pitch at which she spoke.

“Yes, Oriko, you called for me?”

“Yes, could you tell them what you saw happening between Tomoe and Sakura a few weeks back?” Mikuni asked staring straight into Mami’s soul as she spoke, her citrine eyes glistening with predatory glee.

“Well, it was a couple of weeks back as Oriko said, and I was just minding my business heading towards the council room to bring her a book that she’d left behind in one of our classes. When I got there I heard odd noises coming from within. I took a peek inside and saw what looked like Kyoko Sakura kissing Tomoe as they sat at that table pretending to complete council work.”

‘No, she couldn’t have. There was no one was there that day!’ Mami thought as she listened to the little witch speak, panic surging through her like a bolt of wicked lightning. Mikuni had her snared in place, the whole situation was too messy to explain, and she knew how horrid it must seem to those listening. But she couldn’t tell them that, they wouldn’t understand. She didn’t really understand. They’d just been sitting down for tea after day of work, as they often did, sharing a laugh about the girls who called them a ‘couple’ earlier that day. What happened next was all a blur, but she recalled a strange intensity appearing in Kyoko’s eyes after Mami said she didn’t mind being called that (she’d certainly had worse things said about her in the past). “Hey are you serious?” Kyoko had said as she got out of her seat, her eyes burning curiously as she leaned in close to her mentor. Mami remembered the scent of biscuits on her breath and the shivering anticipation she felt as she stared up at the redhead, all of a sudden feeling her pretence of experience wash away as she wondered what her junior had in mind. But the redhead pulled away abruptly and fled the scene, blurting out a flushed “Sorry!” as she ran. It all happened so quickly and was over before it truly began. Even now Mami struggled to make sense of it. Kyoko, insisting they forget about it the next time they met.

“I couldn’t get the clearest view, and I quickly ran so not to be discovered, but right as I was leaving, I could hear what seemed like the beginnings of an argument, Sakura pulled away and Tomoe kept saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry.’ And shortly after, Sakura came racing out of the room, slamming the door behind her, tears in her eyes. I didn’t think about it too much, but after all the rumours surrounding them, I felt I just had to tell Oriko about it, especially after Sakura disappeared following her family’s suicide.”

“Well, there you have it.” Oriko diabolically smirked as her friend finished, her voice remaining as tempered and controlled as ever, even as her emerald eyes peered gleefully at Mami’s astonished face, sending glacial chills through the blonde’s spine. “Ms. Yuuki here, saw the whole sordid affair.”

“Oh, piss off. That’s far too convenient. The one witness just happens to be your friend and you two don’t think of bringing it up until its handy for you? That seems likely.” Kanae cussed, somehow offering a greater defence for Mami than she could muster for herself. “Anyway, I don’t see how it’s our business to pry into their relationship in the first place. We all knew Mifuyu was dating Yachiyo the entire time they were in charge, and no one called foul, not even when some of us walked in on them making out in this damn club room.”

“Like it or not, that is was happened.” The jeering blonde responded, drinking in the chaos she was creating. “And please don’t make such a false equivalency: Nanami and Azusa were both the same age, and from what I understand, they were friends long before they took over the council, so there wasn’t the same manipulation we see here. But then again, you knew them more intimately than I, so perhaps you know what dirty secrets they kept and are willing to enlighten us all? I certainly remember you were quite close to Azusa for a time, Ms. Yukino, especially during those times where they seemed to have split up.” The politician’s daughter smiled at the punk knowingly, her calculating gaze twinkling with pleasure as the blonde rankled her dour face in frustration. “If I recall correctly, during those periods while you were eloping with our beloved president, Ms. Nanami spent most of her time with Tomoe here. I do wonder how it felt to be such an obvious replacement.”

“That’s not what happened! Whatever went on with Yachiyo-senpai, it was nothing like you are insinuating…” Mami finally lashed out, sick to the stomach from the accusations she was hearing. She could feel the eyes of the whole room upon her, judging her for some imagined crime that was rapidly taking hold in their minds. “And Kyoko and I didn’t have that kind of relationship either.”

Tensions were running high in the room and as stressful as it was for Mami, it must have been equally frustrating for many of the onlookers — frustrating enough that a certain teal-haired girl finally snapped at Mami demanding answers.

“Well perhaps you can explain what was actually going on? Because Rena doesn’t understand one bit of it!”

“I…” Mami stuttered out, still stricken with shock that such an intimate matter was being discussed as though it were a public concern. “Kyoko was special to me… She could be childish and lazy at times, even greedy when it came to food, but she truly cared about people and worked hard when she saw them in need. She wanted to help people the way she thought her father did… She even once invited me over to have dinner with her family, I think because she felt sorry for me for living alone–”

“Did you use the orphan card to get her to kiss you as well?” Sasa Yuuki slimely interjected. The sugary singsong in her voice, dissolving briefly to expose the venom underneath.

“She never kissed me!”

(That wasn’t technically false, although in her mind it very nearly happened.)

“Then what did Sasa see?” Oriko pressed, her green eyes aflame with vengeance. “I can tell you are still hiding things from us?”

“I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you why she ran away, but I don’t know… perhaps it might have been my fault, but I can’t say for certain…”

“You see, so guilty she can’t even give us a straight answer, hardly fitting behaviour for a leader.” Oriko scoffed. “Here’s my ultimatum: either Tomoe steps down from the presidency and leaves the council or I do.”

She slapped her hand down on the table for dramatic effect, glowering over the room that was soon to be her domain as the council lingered on an unbearable pause before it was broken by a dour tone.

“Then perhaps you best leave Mikuni. For I see no reason why Tomoe should leave if you’re just going to take her place.” Finally looking up from her book, Homura Akemi cut through the tension with her wintery cool voice. “We all know you only called this farce of a meeting because you’ve long coveted Tomoe’s position. And now, after months of undermining her, you finally think you’ve concocted enough dirt to drag her down and usurp it from her. This whole thing reeks of your base cunning. Regardless of whatever relationship she had with Sakura, Tomoe has never fallen behind in work; even while remaining distracted the past week, she has managed to keep this council running, which is more than I can say for you.”

“And how do you know that?” Oriko inquired, irritation forming on her brow as Homura lay into her with cutting blows.

“Because I have been here working with her every day the past few weeks.” Dramatically closing her book, the raven-haired girl began her filibuster.  “Unlike the rest of you, I actually spent time working with Tomoe and Sakura and I can assure you nothing salacious ever occurred between them. I have no real love for Tomoe, but even I can tell these rumours are meaningless and the fact we are basing a serious discussion around them is an utter joke. Furthermore, the fact so many of you seem willing to give into what amounts to childish fearmongering is sickening and sets a worse example for the whole school than Tomoe ever has.”

The crowd sat silent as Akemi’s icy words seeped through them. Her amethyst eyes coolly judging them all from ahigh before they cornered on Mikuni once more.

“And frankly Mikuni you’re a hypocrite for pretending to be concerned about some rumoured ‘unsavoury’ relationship between Tomoe and Sakura given your own with Kure.”

“You take that back, there’s nothing unsavoury about Oriko!!!” Kure burst out, lunging forwards towards Homura, who dodged her clawed swipe with ease.

“Kirika, that’s enough!” Oriko commanded, her diminutive pet coming to a stop at her call. “Akemi can spew her sour venom to defend Tomoe if she likes, we know the truth of the matter. I can only hope that our peers have the good wisdom to see it our way.”

“If they have any brains at all they won’t.” Homura’s amethyst eyes met Mami’s briefly and veiled hint of sympathy briefly upon them before hardening and shifting back to their shared adversary. “And after the scene you made today, hopefully everyone can agree you are far less fit for the role than even Tomoe. Her only real mistake was letting you be Vice President.”

In that moment Mami was sure she’d almost fallen in love with Homura Akemi. Without her, she was unsure she would have won the day; true, Kanae likely would’ve always voted against Oriko, but it was Homura’s intervention that swayed the rest of the room back to her side, despite her abrasive tone. Because of that Mami remained the head of the Student Council for the rest of the year, now with Homura at her side as her closest compatriot. She quickly rose to fill the shoes vacated by Mikuni and wearing them far better (likely because she actually tried). True, Akemi turned out to be just as opinionated and disagreeable as her regal predecessor, but she was also far more reliable and enjoyable to talk to in her own quiet way. Even though she would often wish to do things her own way and would often disagree with Mami’s perspective, she always remained at her side to help out when she was needed. But these events reforged the caution caked around the older girl’s heart, so she never let herself truly become close to her the way she had with Kyoko or Yachiyo. An icy arrangement Homura seemed more than comfortable with.

While she could certainly be as much a thorn in her side as she could a boon to her mood, Homura remained a pillar Mami could usually rely upon. So, watching her turn against her now when she needed her most hurt greatly. Especially since Mami had hoped Homura would stand by her side as she strived for one last chance; aiding her the way Kyoko once had, and as she had once done for Yachiyo before that. She felt somehow lost without Akemi’s prickly glowers and sardonic monotone bolstering her forwards. If it weren’t for Miss Kaname appearing in her life, Mami wasn’t sure if she really could face the school again, when she knew she had failed so much. And now that her pink haired light was suddenly absent, that cowardice was rapidly returning, and she found herself choking on the frigid air of isolation and staring longingly at her former companion’s harsh, dark features.

Feeling rotten anxiety in her seat, Mami quietly stood and slipped out the stage door, hoping that her nerves would calm down in the fresh air. Outside it was oddly cool for a late spring day, the school yard seemed almost purgatorial in its languid quiet — all the life that would usually be bustling about was back inside behind her and she stood alone in a world that seemed frozen and half-dead.  ‘Just like me’ she thought, smiling bitterly at herself. Her heart tensed painfully as though her blood had turned to frost. Shivers prickled up her legs and she felt her ears ache timidly as the world closed in upon her like that smouldering wreck long, long ago. She breathed in deeply, trying to moor herself back in the present, dreadfully knowing she had to re-enter that hall and face that crowd alone if she was ever to justify her spared life. Then, in the distance she saw a glimpse of pink in the distance rushing towards her and her heart bloomed with relief.

“Miss Kaname, over here!” Mami called out to her assistant, the sleet icing her heart melting away upon seeing her.

“I’m so sorry I’m late.” Madoka panted out as she came to a stop before her. “A girl in my class was feeling unwell, so I took her to the nurse’s office and took care of her until the nurse arrived.”

Despite her anxiety about the election, Mami couldn’t help but smile hearing this — Madoka really was too kind for her own good. She would have to try her hardest to make sure she never abused that kindness.

“It’s okay, you’re just in time. The assembly doesn’t start for a couple of minutes, so please catch your breath before we head in.”

“I hope I didn’t worry you.”

“I was a little concerned you wouldn’t show, but I would’ve managed.” Mami lied more fluidly than she breathed. “How about yourself? Are you nervous Miss Kaname?”

“A little…” That was also untrue, but Madoka was far worse at hiding it — the poor girl was nearly sweating from nerves, that it was clear from the tremble in her voice. But by laying a kind hand on her shoulder, Mami lifted the butterflies from her chest and replaced them with an entirely different kind of fluttering.

“It’s okay. I know you’ll perform wonderfully after all our practise. And even if you don’t, it’ll be alright. Anyway, I’ll be right there behind you to help if the pressure becomes too much to handle. But try not to let it worry you. To tell the truth, I’m still somewhat scared every time I step on that stage.”

She gave her a warm smile and pat her shoulder reassuringly. Madoka could only look away and smile bashfully at her touch. It eased her heart to hear that even someone as experienced as Mami still got nervous in front of crowds, though somehow, she kinda guessed that already. She wondered how things had been for Mami when she was in her position and turned to ask her.

“Did things go well when you campaigned with your senpai?”

“Oh no, we lost horribly.” Mami admitted candidly, absentmindedly recalling that Yachiyo really spent most of her speech subtly taunting Mifuyu, attempting to get a rise out of her white-haired partner. Upon seeing Madoka’s worried look however Mami smiled boldly and assured her, “But I don’t think my senpai was really trying to win, Miss Kaname, and that’s not something you need to worry about with me.”

But as they headed inside, Mami couldn’t help but wonder if that was really true…

***

The assembly was already beginning when they re-entered the hall. Mami quietly directed Madoka toward her seat and sat down between her and Homura. The raven-haired girl briefly glanced at the pair with concern as they shuffled into their seats but remained silent as the headmistress delivered her opening speech for the assembly.

Of the candidates, Oriko was set to speak first. As expected, her campaign manager, Kirika, delivered an introductory speech that was both cloying and artificial; while there were occasional strong points made, the black-haired imp spent most of her time fawning over how perfect her mistress was. It obvious to Mami that Mikuni had written most of, if not the entirety, of her speech. Yet despite Mikuni’s talent at speech craft, Kirika’s childish delivery rendered it largely unimpressive and certainly unlikely to swing any undecided voters. Mikuni herself was a different matter; the girl had always been imposingly charismatic and was a far more seasoned speaker than either of her competitors. Perhaps it ran in the family. She certainly seemed a natural born politician just like so many of her relatives before her.

“Hello, my name is Oriko Mikuni. I’m sure several of you remember the last time I was up on this stage and may be wondering why I am here again?” Mikuni began, taking centre stage as though it were her throne. “Well over the past year, the council has been dominated by two clashing egos; a pair who have left the entire council in a fractured state, unable to adequately complete its tasks or deliver the pristinely managed events they should. A pair who have driven away the regular membership and made their meetings intolerable with their infamous arguments. And now, as if to highlight how incapable they are at maintaining an upright ship, they are here at this election waging a civil war to see who gets to captain the smouldering wreck until it sinks.”

Mami couldn’t help but give an anxious sigh listening to Mikuni speak. She truly was a tremendous orator, managing to evoke such a strange and captivating aura as she stood tall and regal before the crowd and delivered her speech. Hearing the fox-eyed blonde compellingly slander her dangerously preyed upon Mami’s perpetually guilty conscious, and she was forced to push away that part of her which whispered that Mikuni might be right.

“I am here to offer an alternative to their chaos. If I am elected, I intend to restore the council to its proper standing, making it a reliable centre of order and tranquillity. I know many of you may still see me as tainted by father’s crimes — I may never be able to overcome those stains, but even so I wish to try. That is precisely why I am so passionate about trying to repair this council. I, unlike my opponents, have successfully managed a student council before and more importantly, I know firsthand what happens when elected officials place their selfish egos above the duty of their position, so I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not come to pass here.”

With that Mikuni finished up, giving a graceful bow to the crowd before turning to smirk evilly at her spiral haired rival as if to say, ‘Your turn.’

“Well we’re up…” Mami said to Madoka as she stood from her seat, trying her best to ignore Mikuni’s taunts as she led her nervous junior to the front of the stage.

The small pink-haired girl stood behind the podium and awkwardly pulled the microphone towards her as she settled her notes on the lectern. Mami watched with bated breath, her fingers quietly crossed as she silently beckoned her short saviour on. ‘Don’t panic, Miss Kaname, just do it the way you did during our practise.’

“Um I’m still kind of new here, and I’m not really sure what exactly happened last year, so I can’t really speak for what Mikuni-senpai said…” Madoka began, slightly stumbling over her words as she struggled to come to terms with the preceding speech.

Mami felt the urge to rush over and intervene, but held firm, trusting that her junior could find her footing. And so she did, refocusing on what she had written, the sweet pink girl stared out at the audience with earnest conviction, her words strong and true as they poured out of her heart.

“However, in my brief time here I can say for certain that Mami Tomoe is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. True, she does wonderful academically, and I’m sure every teacher she’d had would tell you she’s a joy to teach, but it was her kindness that drew me to her. On my very first day here, when I was still lost and confused about my new school, she took time out of her day to guide me and help me reunite with an old friend that I had thought I lost. I’m sure those who’ve been at this school longer than me can attest to that better than I how hard she strives to help every student she meets. No doubt many of you have your own stories of how she came into your life and solved your problems for you, or even made your day better with her wonderful smile. I joined the council because I wanted to be like her, even just a little bit, because nothing would make me happier than if I could help people a quarter as much as she does.”

Taking a deep breath Madoka looked down at her cues and decided to break from her original finale with a nervous breath.

“And I guess this is kind of selfish of me, but I hope you vote for her because I’d really like to spend more time working alongside her in the Student Council and getting to know her better. Doing so would truly make this year the greatest it could be. Um, thank you for listening to my speech. I’ll let her do the rest.”

With a little bow she rushed from the spotlight leaving the hall in stunned silence. No one was more touched than Mami, who was amazed at how her protégé had adapted the speech they’d composed to rebut Mikuni’s accusations, delivering it in such a frighteningly genuine manner that few would have cause to question her. Then on top of that, decide to end it on a note of heartfelt spontaneity that left Mami utterly breathless as she reflected on how much the girl had improved in such a short time.

“Miss Kaname, it’s a good start, but anyone could’ve written it. It doesn’t matter that I grade well or that people think I’m responsible or like a ‘cool older sister’.” Mami had told Madoka after hearing her first draft. It was serviceable, but empty —full of hollow clichés and undue naval gazing about her academic prowess that she clearly only knew from rumours. “I want to know why you think I’d make a great president, not why others think I would. Don’t say what you think people want to hear, say what you truly think, it will mean more.”

With that she’d left Madoka to work on her own as she prepared another pot of tea. She’d been shocked to return and hear such a genuine toast of admiration from this kind-hearted girl who had entered her life only a few scant weeks prior. She was almost dangerously earnest. Thinking back on that long practise session, Mami realised she may have fallen a little in love with her that day. The small pink-haired girl was so caring and brave in ways she could only pretend to be, and to hear her speak with such sincere admiration left Mami’s heart fluttering with an anxious warmth.

She didn’t deserve such praise; she knew that well enough. And she could never live up to it in the long run. What little charm she had was just a cheap imitation of her parents’ charisma…  But it would have to do for now. She could hardly let down Miss Kaname after she gave such a fantastic, heartfelt speech.

“You did wonderfully” The blonde whispered into her junior’s ear as she passed her on the way to the podium, forcing her fear further down her gullet with every step.

‘Don’t say what you think people want to hear, say what you truly think, it will mean more.’

Her own words echoed in her head — their hypocritical tone like acid to her pride.

‘I’m sorry Miss Kaname, I’m afraid, I can’t take my own advice.’ She thought bitterly as she stared out at the waiting crowd, a warm mask fixed firm to her face as she prepared to weave her sweet little lies once more.