Chapter Text
Kyosuke looked at assembled people in the opera. To this day he still couldn't believe that somehow both his hands and legs have healed up. Not to mention that in some miracle he didn't even lose any skill in playing the violin.
He soon finished his play and bowed to the people applauding. Then he exited the stage and after a few minutes he headed home and promptly went to sleep, he still had school to attend after all.
However, on the way back home be got distracted by a black butterfly, something about it seemed very weird to him, and he felt like he should follow it.
Then, the world around him twisted. It felt like he was in a painting of some sorts.
He looked fearfully as everything around seemed to smear into paint.
Then he heard loud clapping. He swiftly turned around to see...himself?
The person there looked exactly like him, except he had yellow eyes. "Well, well, who do we have, if it isn't Mr. Useless!"
"What are you? Where am I?" he asked in desperation as he looked around.
The doppelganger looked around distastefully. "I am you, your other self. As fort this place, I suppose the locals call it a Labyrinth, it's disgusting thing really, but that's not what I am here for."
"And...what are you here for?" he asked hesitantly.
It stared back at with grin, an evil grin. "Oh nothing much, other than tell you how useless you are!"
He flinched back a bit. "What do you mean?"
It walked up to him. "Precisely that. You are useless you can't do anything for those who helped you, and you can't even help poor little Sayaka!"
"Where is Sayaka? Do you know what happened to her?"
"Sayaka is in the depth of the Collective Unconscious, her soul will soon return to where all souls came from."
Kyosuke could feel his heart shattering at that. "What...?"
"That's right! She did everything for you, healing your leg and arm, always being there for you and now she will die because of that!"
"Sayaka did that all for me?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing from his supposed other self.
"That's right! She was in love with you and did everything for you, and you have not repaid her in any way, my what terrible friend you are!"
He clenched his fists tight. "I...will help Sayak!"
His other self smirked at him. "And how will you achieve, you are useless, you can't do anything."
He glared at him. "Then I will become someone who is not useless!"
The doppelganger stared back at him. "Do you, then, accept your faults as well?"
Kyosuke's gaze was unyielding. "Yes! I made mistakes, but I want to help Sayaka!"
He hummed. "Very well, I am thou, and thou art I!"
Immediately he felt pain in his head, that pain quickly left as he felt the world around him rerorient.
He now understood what he needed to do. He will be the one saving Sayaka this time.
It was three days since he gained his Persona and joined Madoka's group, and it had been just a day since they rescued Sayaka.
He was feeling really grateful for Ken-senpai's group and he called Madoka to the side, after Ken went to deal with everything in regards to Sayaka and the others. He wanted to speak her about a certain thing.
"Madoka, can I ask you something?" he asked the pink haired girl.
She blinked at him. "Sure, Kyosuke, you already did, but you can ask another one as well."
He threw an unimpressed look at her before he sighed and moved on. "Anyway, can you tell me how I should go about asking someone out?"
Madoka flushed a bit. "Why me?"
"You're the only one in the teak who is dating someone, well you and Homura-san, but I don't know her as well as I do you..."
Madoka hummed to herself. "Well...who do you want to ask out?"
Kyosuke shifted from one foot to another. "Sayaka...I want to ask her out after all she did for me...I think my Shadow also confirmed that she's in love with me..."
Madoka eyes lit up, but there was some reservation there as well.
"Hmm...well I am sure that Sayaka would appreciate and reciprocate your feelings as well...it's just may not be the best time for her..."
Kyosuke frowned. "I guess I can wait till she wakes up, but there's something else I would to ask as well."
Madoka nodded for him to continue.
"Were Sayaka and I in any relationship in one of the prior...timelines?" he still felt bit weird about the fact that Madoka and Homura both were essentially time travelers, but maybe he could use this to her advantage.
Madoka frowned at his question. "A few times...but most of the time you were not..."
Kyosuke felt himself relax at that. Even if it was only a few times that he ended up dating Sayaka that still meant he had a chance with her.
"Why only a few time?" he asked.
"Mostly because she refused to ask you out after she healed you, most of the time by that point she viewed herself as a zombie due to her Soul Gem being...well her Soul. The few time she did ask you out were in timelines she never learned that fact."
He nodded. So, I will not have to worry about that here, considering she no longer has to worry about that.
"Uhmmm...I have one more question, Madoka. Can you tell me how often Sayaka, and Kyoko-san get together?"
Madoka appeared to be deep in thought. "About 50%, sorry if that's upesting to you..."
He quickly deflated at that, but it didn't dissapoint him as much as he would have expected it to.
"Well, thanks for everything, Madoka, I have a practice today, so see you." He waved at the girl a bit dejectedely, who waved back at him.
Kido Takashi wasn't certain what to do in this situation. He had told his dad that he didn't really like Homura back when he was suspicious of her, but now here she was, because Alice invited her here.
Speaking of Dad, something about him seemed...strange, Takashi didn't quite know what that could be, but it felt like something was keeping Takashi from learning something significant.
He chalked it up to Persona stuff. I really should Naoki some more about this all...
Dad looked Homura over for a second before he allowed her in, and then Alice dragged them to her room where she stayed.
"So what exactly are we doing?" he asked the two girls.
"Simple," said Alice with a grin, "Homura, is planning to go on a date with Madoka in the future after we defeat Walpurgisnacht, so we have to help her."
He raised his eyebrows, Homura and Madoka was no suprise to him, he wasn't blind, but the fact that she supposedly needed was. "Why would Homura need help with that?"
Alice went to answer, "It's because—"
However she was cut off by Homura, "It's because...I need your recommendations about places here."
"You don't have some already?" he asked.
"I do, the problem is that I want to suprise Madoka with something she never experienced before, and all the places that I know, Madoka had been there already."
Takashi hummed. "I see now why you picked us. In that case, how about you tell us about all the places you have been to? That way we can suggest some where you haven't been."
Homura nodded, and Takashi sweatdropped when she pulled out a list from her pocket. She then started listening every single place they had ever been to.
Isn't this a bit too much? I don't think Madoka would be mad if you took too her to a place that you have only been to once or twice before.
It seemed like Alice thought the same ash coughed aloud. "Maybe...you should scale that back to places you have gone to more than just once, otherwise I don't we can be much help to you."
Homura looked not sure about that, but acquiesced to what Alice said.
"Very well, in that case, I'll narrow down the list, in the meantime why don't we talk about Alice's crush?"
"You have a crush on someone in the group?" Takashi asked a bit shocked as he turned to Alice whose face started to turn red.
"Homura, he wasn't supposed to know that!"
Homura slowly blinked as she looked between them. "I apologize, I thought that he knew..."
She trailed as an awkward silence enveloped the room, in which no one was quite sure what to say.
"It's Naoki isn't it?" he asked suddenly breaking that silence.
"Why did the both of you think it was him? It's Ken-senpai!" she whined.
Takashi raised his eyebrows. "Really? I could have sworn that, nevermind."
She pouted at him. "Well, it's Ken-senpai!"
Homura glanced between them before she turned to Takashi and said, "I thought you'd have more reaction than that, maybe being protective..."
"Her being interested in someone else means she'll have less time to annoy me."
Alice gasped in a fake scandalized way. "How heartless! And I thought we were good friends!"
He threw a flat look at her.
Meanwhile, Homura looked between with a small smile on her face. "I don't think I fully understand your relationship."
"It's simple, Takashi's my best friend!", "She's really annoying!" they both said earnestly at the same time.
Homura laughed a little at that.
It felt kind of weird to see Homura like that, but it felt good to see her more expressive.
She definitely deserves being happy after everything she's been through.
He then sighed. "Right, I think we should focus back on Homura, unless you want to talk about it."
She flushed a bit at that. "No! Just...just focus on Homura, please..."
Honestly, she's always so handful...Takashi was already taking a pity on the person who'll go out with her, be it Ken, or Naoki, or anyone else.
"Hitomi-chan, are you alright?" asked a voice snapping the girl in question out from her stupor, she looked up and realized that it was break.
She turned to Madoka who asked her. "Yeah...I was juts worried about Sayaka, she had just been admitted to the hospital, and I..."
Madoka waved her worries away. "I am sure that Sayaka-chan will be alright."
Something had changed with Madok a few days ago, it almost looked like she was far older at times.
She also started to go out with Akemi-san, which was not something Hitomi expected at all. She was sure that if Madoka were to go out with a girl it would have been Sayaka.
Nevertheless, she could tell that they both obviously cared about each other, so she was content to see where it will go. I will also have to retire the girls can't love girls joke...
Madoka also started to hang out with Naoki's friends, Madoka tried to invite her to come along with them a few times, but she was unfortunately too bust with Tea ceremony classes.
But now that Kyosuke was also hanging out with them, she tried to free up some time in her schedule.
She had wanted to ask him out, but she also didn't want to ruin her friendship with Sayaka, so she planned to allow her to ask him out, but now that she's in the hospital, Hitomi had to put that on hold.
"Madoka! Homura! Kyosuke!" yelled a voice of the short brown haired girl, whom Naoki was friends with as she entered the room.
Behind her was the tall boy, Hitomi was kind of embarrassed to say that she didn't know their names.
"Do you wanna come with us onto the roof?" asked the girl as she walked up to Hitomi's friend.
Madoka eyes lit up. "Yeah, I'd love to, but..."
She glanced at Hitomi. "Could Hitomi-chan come along as well?"
"Sure!" said the girl impulsively, her friend seemed to be somewhat more reluctant, but he didn't speak up.
So, she followed then to the roof, where
a few people were already
"Hello, Hitomi-San," Naoki greeted her, and honestly, Hitomi was kind of suprised that he remembered her name.
They barely interacted when they were younger, and they haven't interacted at all since he came back.
She greeted him back with a small smile while the other boy on the roof sent a curious look at her.
He was still showing signs that he was still a bit sick though, especially with how weak his voice was.
"Ah, Ken-senpai, I invited a friend of mine, I hope it's no problem," said Madoka to the Student Council President, the boy just nodded in response to that.
Madoka then realized that not everybody here knew Hitomi, nor did she know everyone here so they introduced themselves to each other, with Amada-senpai being the last one to do that.
Hitomi honestly wasn't sure how Madoka made friends with the Student Council President, but she needed to put on her best mask, she could not afford to be terribly informal and rude infront of—
"Hey, Ken-senpai, can I see what ya got for lunch?" asked Toudou-san.
How informal! Did no one teach this girl manners?!
"Sure," he replied to her.
Toudou-san leaned in close to see his bento box.
"Can we trade some?" she asked.
Hitomi stared at them dumbfounded. She could not quite believe how the girl was behaving in front of not only their Senpai, but the Student Council President.
Amada-senpai, looked at her with some curiosity before he shrugged again and handed her the box.
She took a few things out, and then
"Hmm...It's really good, did you make them yourself?" she asked after swallowing.
"Yeah, Shinjiro, is much better at preparing it and making it than I am, but I am far better it than when I was younger."
"Shinjiro-san's that scary looking man in the photos in your place?" Toudou-san asked.
She has been to his home?! Are they, perchance, dating?!
"Hitomi-san," said a voice interrupting her thoughts, the voice of Kido-san, "what do you do in your free time, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Ah...unfortunately, I don't have much free time in my schedule, I have Piano, Dance and Tea ceremony classes after school," she replied.
"You must be really diligent, then, unlike someone I know." He threw a deliberate glance at Toudou-san.
Toudou-san squawked in response to that comment. "Who you calling lazy?!"
She then turned to Naoki. "Naoki, do something!"
He threw a flat stare at her. "Why me, specifically?"
"C'mon just do something!"
He sighed in mock exhaustion. "Takashi, don't call Alice lazy, during the time I have known her, she has alway been really proactive, now if you called her too energetic that would be correct."
"What's that supposed to mean? When did this turn into a pick on me day?" she whined playfully.
Akemi-san, went to comfort her, patting her shoulder, while Madoka giggled at the exchange.
They all fell into chatter after that. Even Kyosuke, who up to this point hadn't said a single word joined in.
Hitomi felt like kind of an outsider to this group, and it felt a bit confusing to see Madoka interact like that with anyone other than her and Sayaka.
It felt like she was being left behind, and Hitomi didn't like that feeling. Nevertheless, Hitomi knew realistically that the day they will go their separate ways was bound to come up. Maybe we will not even be friends by the time we go to High School, that would be terribly—
"Hitomi-chan," called out Madoka's voice interrupting her thoughts, "would you like to with Homura-chan and I to go shopping, if you have e free time, of course."
She nodded quickly, feeling the smile return to her face, thankfully, she managed to clear up time in her schedule.
I think I was too quick to judge her, if Madoka had anything to say about it, then we'll never stop being friends.