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The Mitakihara Museum of Art and Culture was still a new attraction to the growing city, so it made sense that Madoka, and all of her friends, hadn’t seen it yet. However, when Sayaka mentioned an upcoming exhibition on the history of ballet and opera, and then, Homura attempted to hide just how excited she was about the exhibition (and failed adorably), Madoka needed no more excuse to check it out. One invite to Mami later, and the four of them had a group date.
In truth, Madoka didn’t know enough about ballet or opera to understand the importance of most of the exhibit, but she did enjoy learning the specific interests of each of her friends.
Of course, she already knew Sayaka would gravitate toward the opera and classical music portion. Madoka had a sneaking feeling Kamijou Kyousuke was due for an imminent visit from Sayaka to tell him all about it.
Mami apparently had an interest in fashion! She spent a good 20 minutes gushing to Madoka over the amount of detail in the various costumes. Madoka didn’t understand all of the stitching and embellishments Mami told her about, but she did find herself staring at a particularly pretty ballerina costume. A shimmering white with gold branches swirling up the bodice and lining the hem of the tutu, and short ruffled sleeves that sat just below the shoulders.
As for Homura, she evidently loved ballet; Madoka caught her gazing wistfully at The Nutcracker display.
“It’s the only ballet I’ve seen live.” She sighed, still not taking her eyes away.
“Really?”
“I was very little when I saw it, but I loved it so much, I wanted to be a ballerina when I grew up. I even used to take lessons.”
Madoka watched the video display of a beautiful lady twirling and leaping on the stage, and imagined Homura doing that.
“You’re a lot braver than me, I don’t think I could perform in front of such a large audience.”
Homura quirked an eyebrow at Madoka, “You’ve faced lots of scarier things than I have, Kaname-san.”
For a moment, Madoka forgot that Homura wasn’t a Magical Girl like her. She’d been coming along on so many of their witch hunts, it felt like her duo with Mami had become a Magical Girl Trio.
“I don’t know about that! Technically, you’ve faced every witch that Mami and I have these last couple weeks!”
“Watching from the sidelines.” Homura grumbled.
“Still counts! Also, I’ve never had heart surgery, I can’t imagine how scary that must’ve been.”
Homura shrugged, “There wasn’t much of a choice. It was either go through the treatment or-” She stopped herself and shook her head vigorously, her braids flapping with the movement. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sound so depressing. Kaname-san must think I’m no fun to be around.”
Madoka hadn’t been thinking that at all. She wanted to give Homura a big hug, if anything, but she worried it would only make her feel worse.
“That’s not it! I was actually thinking about how beautiful ballet looks. If you ever wanted to get back into it, maybe we could do it together!”
Homura’s eyes lit up and she smiled, “I think that would be fun.”
Seeing that spark of hope in Homura was by far the best part of Madoka’s day.
After they’d seen the whole exhibit, the four girls started to regroup. Madoka and Homura stopped outside the elevator and texted Sayaka to find Mami so they could all go to the gift shop together.
“Akemi-san!” Mami called from a distance a few minutes after Madoka sent out the text, Sayaka in tow, “You never told me you were a ballet aficionado!”
Homura blushed and ducked her head, “It just never came up.”
“Did you see this display?” Mami gently stole Homura from the group for a moment to show her something on her digital camera, presumably something about ballet.
“Hoping to find another CD for Kamijou-kun at the gift shop?” Madoka prodded her best friend.
Sayaka scoffed playfully, “I mean, they’ll probably only have really popular CDs, stuff Kyousuke’s already heard a million times before. But hey, can’t hurt to look!”
The elevator door chimed then, and Homura had joined up with them again, so the three stepped on and pressed the button for the first floor.
“… Why is Tomoe-san not with us?” Homura asked as the elevator started moving.
Sayaka looked around at the three of them, and shrugged, “I thought she wanted to take the stairs. You didn’t tell her we were going to the gift shop?”
Homura’s shoulders hunched and she backed up a step, “No, I-I thought you were going to tell her, Miki-san.”
“You mean we just left Mami-san behind??” Sayaka hammed up the despair in her voice, as if they’d left Mami for dead instead.
“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Noo! Mami-saaan!!” Sayaka shouted at the ceiling, as if Mami could hear them through the elevator shaft.
Then she put her hands on the door.
“Ah! Sayaka-chan, don’t-!”
She didn’t listen, however; lost in her joke, Sayaka pried open the elevator doors with a dramatic cry. The three girls saw the shaft walls zoom by them for a terrifying moment, then the elevator shuddered and stopped violently. Madoka lost her balance and knocked into Homura, who had luckily gripped onto the rail to keep upright.
“Oh crap.” Sayaka stood back and studied her handiwork.
“Sayaka-chan…” She could’ve injured herself pulling that stunt! Madoka knew Sayaka was impulsive, and didn’t mean to break the elevator, but she found herself feeling very frustrated with her childhood friend.
Sayaka laughed nervously, “It’s ok! Madoka, you have Mami-san’s number right?”
“Yes!” Madoka whipped her phone open and pored through her contacts, “One second, I’ll just- Oh.”
“Kaname-san?” Homura tried to peer over her shoulder at her phone screen.
“I’m not getting any signal in here.” She sighed, “Must be because of the elevator. Is it the same with your phone, Homura-chan?”
Homura’s eyes shifted between the two of them, “I um- I left my phone at home.”
Sayaka raised an eyebrow, “How could you leave your phone at home?”
Homura fidgeted with the strap on her small, lavender handbag “I-I ran out of room in my purse, and I didn’t think I would need it, since I was going to be with all of you today.”
“What if you needed to reach your parents? Isn’t that important, with your heart condition?”
Madoka knew Sayaka was just concerned, but also knew she sometimes had a brash way of showing it. Homura seemed more uncomfortable with each question, her gaze twitching around the elevator as if hoping to magically find an escape route on the ceiling, the walls, or the floor.
“Sayaka-chan, maybe that’s personal.” Madoka interceded.
Homura bobbed her head in affirmation, “Sorry, Miki-san. But really, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Sayaka let her posture drop, “Alright, alright I won’t pry. But seriously, better safe than sorry, y’know?
“Like having our phones is really helping us right now?” Madoka giggled. “Hey, speaking of which, what about your phone, Sayaka-chan?”
“Ah, mine’s dead.”
“I see.”
Madoka and Sayaka stared down at their phones as if mentally willing them to be useful right now. ‘Maybe I should have wished for unlimited signal.’ Madoka lamented and sighed again.
Beside them, Homura began to hyperventilate.
“Oh no, no, no! I-I’m so sorry. I-” She collapsed into a corner of the elevator and sobbed.
“Ah! Homura-chan!” Madoka’s heart sank into her stomach at the sight of Homura suddenly so distraught. She dropped to the floor beside her and placed a hand on her forearm, “What’s the matter?”
Homura buried her head in her hands and took a shaking, gaspy breath, “Th-this is my fault! I should’ve paid more attention, I should’ve spoken to Tomoe-san before we got in the elevator. I-I wasn’t thinking, and now we’re stuck here!” She inhaled deeply, “W-we were having such a nice time, and n-now I’ve gone and r-ruined it all! P-please, forgive me for being such a bother.”
It hurt to hear Homura still thought herself a bother to everyone around her, to the point of blaming herself for someone else’s actions. She understood how Homura felt so keenly, though. It frustrated Madoka that she couldn’t express how Homura’s words could’ve been something she would say about herself before she became a Magical Girl. She knew Mami would disapprove of making a contract for such a small reason but, if it would make Homura smile, then it wasn’t such a bad reason in Madoka’s eyes.
“Homura-chan, don’t be silly! You’ve done nothing wrong, Sayaka-chan was the one who opened the doors, after all.” Madoka shot a pointed glance at Sayaka, who shuffled on the spot.
“Madoka’s right, I was being an idiot.” She laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, “I’m the one who got us in this mess, not you. Sorry about that.”
Madoka nodded in approval, “Besides, there must be an emergency call button here, right Sayaka-chan?”
“Right! On it!”
As Sayaka busied herself with the elevator buttons, and Homura continued to sob beside her, Madoka took the opportunity to reach out to Mami.
“Mami-san, are you there?”
Madoka felt Mami’s acknowledgement before her actual response, “Of course. Is everything alright, you haven’t picked up a witch’s trail, have you?”
“No, we’re fine, it’s just… We’re stuck in the elevator.”
“Oh my. How did that happen?”
Madoka thought about how to best summarize the whole situation, “Sayaka-chan.”
“I see.”
She toyed with the ring on her finger, “It’s a shame I can’t transform here, it wouldn’t be difficult to get us all out of here.”
“I agree, but it would be very noticeable in such a public place.”
“Mhm. Also, maybe it’s silly, but I don’t want Sayaka-chan to find out this way.”
Even Homura finding out had been purely incidental. If it hadn’t been for that witch on the bridge, Madoka might not have told her, either. Admittedly, it was nice having another friend know her secret, though. She wouldn’t mind if Sayaka knew about magical girls too, but not like this; not because they needed to escape an elevator they had stupidly gotten themselves stuck on. Surely Mami agreed that would be a waste of magic.
In any case, it was best to wait until she and Mami defeated Walpurgisnacht, she would have more time to think about telling Sayaka after that. It was only two weeks more.
“I understand. Well, don’t worry, I will find security for you.”
“Thank you, Mami-san!”
Madoka returned her attention to Homura, giving her arm a comforting squeeze, “It’ll be ok, Homura-chan.” She whispered, “We’ll be out of here in no time.”
She looked up at her with big, violet eyes, puffy behind her red-rimmed glasses. “H-how do you know?”
Madoka checked to make sure Sayaka was still busy with the emergency button, then leaned closer to Homura and winked.
“I’ve already told Mami-san what happened.” She tapped her temple, “She’s finding help for us right now.”
If possible, Homura’s eyes widened even more for a second, “Ohh… Oh! I forgot you could-”
Madoka giggled and nudged Homura’s shoulder, “See? You have nothing to worry about while I’m here!”
Homura’s face turned serious and flushed red, although she tried to hide it behind one of her braids. ‘Cute’ Madoka stopped herself from giggling again.
“I’m sorry. Kaname-san is always coming to my aid…”
Madoka’s heart skipped a beat and she felt a wave of affection for her shy friend that she couldn’t hold back. She threw her arms around Homura and squeezed her tight.
“Aww, I could never abandon Homura-chan! I’ll always come to help!”
“Kaname-san…” Homura’s arms moved to return her embrace. She sounded a little breathless, perhaps she was squeezing too hard-
“Yo, Madoka.”
“Kaname-san. Are you all still alright?”
“Ah!” Having three people call your name all at once was disrupting enough, but worse when one of them was literally a voice in her head. “Yes, we’re ok here!”
“Not that I thought my Magical Girl junior couldn’t handle a stuck elevator, but I’m relieved to hear that. I hope Miki-san and Akemi-san weren’t too worried.”
Sayaka crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the pair snuggled on the elevator floor, “Seriously, if you two need a room, at least wait until I’ve left it!”
It was more difficult than Madoka realized, having one conversation with your mouth and a different one with your mind. She had to be careful not to respond to the wrong person with the wrong line of communication.
“Sayaka-chan was fine, a little embarrassed, maybe. Homura-chan… had a moment.”
“A moment? Oh dear, does she need medical assistance?”
Madoka refused to relinquish her hold on Homura,“Hehe, sorry Sayaka-chan. You know I can’t leave Homura-chan alone!”
Homura squirmed under her grip, “Eep! Kaname-san! That’s not-!”
“No, she’s ok, now! I took care of her!”
“Of course you did, Kaname-san.”
“It’s ok, Sayaka-chan’s just teasing. She’s very happy for us!” Madoka patted the top of Homura’s head, careful not to give her any chance of escape; she wasn’t ready to let go of her yet.
“Happy?!” Sayaka scoffed, “The transfer student stole my bride right from under my nose! Unbelievable!”
“Who says I can’t have two wives?”
“… Pardon, Kaname-san?”
The other two gawked at Madoka for a moment, and she was sure that even Mami was gawking at her through telepathy. Homura made a strangled noise as if she were about to pass out, so Madoka took that as her cue to finally let her friend get some air. She patted down her dress as she detangled from Homura and sorted out her thoughts, and conversations.
“Um! Never-mind that, Mami-san, responded to the wrong person!”
She felt Mami chuckle, “It’s alright, it sounds like you’re having fun. I just wanted to let you know that I spoke to security and told them the situation. They should have picked up the emergency call by now.”
Sayaka cleared her throat and pointed at the elevator panel, “Anyway! I finally got a hold of someone here!”
“You mean they heard that entire conversation, just now?” Homura mumbled.
“Thank you, Mami-san!”
“And also… Who says you can’t have three wives, Kaname-san?”
“Mami-san?!”
Madoka suddenly wished her hair was as long as Homura’s so that she could hide the blush in her cheeks, too.
“-Miki Sayaka, Kaname Madoka, and transfer- I mean Akemi Homura! We’re between the second and first level!” Sayaka yelled at the elevator panel, prompting a faint huff from Homura.
“Please wait for a moment, maintenance staff are on their way to your elevator. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience.”
“We’re saved!” Sayaka cheered as a couple of repair-men pried the doors open, revealing the ground floor. Behind them, a familiar blonde girl waved at the group.
“Mami-san’s a real hero!” Madoka clapped her hands at the sight of her Magical Girl mentor, who winked back at her. It was so wonderful to see her after their ordeal.
Madoka turned back to Homura to celebrate their freedom with her, to find her pulling herself up off the floor using the handrail. Her face was down-turned, and although Madoka knew Homura was shy, she still seemed oddly quiet. She rushed back to Homura’s side to help her up.
“Homura-chan, you look pale, are you feeling alright? Does anything hurt?”
Homura snapped out of her reverie and gave Madoka a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “No, don’t worry about me. I’m just tired.”
Madoka shook her head and linked arms with Homura, “That’s no good, you don’t need to put on a brave face for me. If you need to, please lean on me!”
“I- If you insist, Kaname-san.” That was all the assurance Homura needed to lean into Madoka’s side, like a cat butting into someone for affection.
“Good. We don’t want you to stress your heart!”
Madoka craned her head to look up at Homura, and found a more genuine smile light up Homura’s expression, “My heart feels much better already, thanks to you, Kaname-san.”