MHGA Chapter 362: Even a Hunter Can't Fix Skipping Class
After Kairo Retsu did his best to convey his thoughts to Madoka, he beamed brightly at the girl before him—a girl who would never fall into despair, one who would only become a Witch upon exhausting her magic.
"The Walpurgisnacht has been influenced by the Frenzy Virus. It should begin moving sooner than expected… If it appears early in Mitakihara City, Shagaru Magala will likely try to devour it as an energy source."
"Shagaru Magala is extremely cautious, keeping its location well-hidden. That's part of why we couldn't detect it before."
"On another note… the other Witches in Mitakihara…"
Kairo Retsu paused. "I want to meet with Homura Akemi. So, Madoka… once you return to your world, I'd like you to come with me to visit Homura."
"And also, regarding Mami Tomoe and Kyoko Sakura, I want to find a way to gather them as well…"
He halted again. "Actually, there's a rather troublesome matter."
"It's that… I can't show the others your story the way I showed it to you."
"You've seen it—how, in the original timeline, Mami broke down completely after learning the truth."
"And Sayaka… she probably hasn't even become a Magical Girl yet." Kairo tried to recall the events in sequence. "If it's just about healing someone's wrist, there's no need to pay such a cruel price. We hunters can handle it."
"And lastly… there's Kyubey."
Kairo narrowed his eyes. "If it finds out about us hunters, it'll definitely try to stop us. I bet it'll do everything in its power to trick you into becoming a Magical Girl."
"As long as… I don't agree, right?" Madoka said hesitantly.
"There's actually an even worse scenario." Kairo scratched his head. "Kyubey might manipulate the other Magical Girls into attacking us."
"!" Madoka froze. "But, Guildmaster-san, you're fighting for—"
"But from their perspective, it's different." Kairo ran a hand through his hair. "From their point of view, Kyubey's true nature hasn't been revealed, right? We only know thanks to Homura, who's looped time countless times…"
"To other Magical Girls, even if Kyubey is putting on an act, it still looks like a proper magical mascot."
"That's why I want to contact Homura first—to keep the hunters' existence under wraps as much as possible."
"I understand." Madoka took a deep breath. "As long as we go see Homura together… that should be enough, right?"
"Ah!"
Kairo's face suddenly changed as if he remembered something crucial.
"Oh no! I forgot something really important!" His expression twisted with alarm. "Crap, crap, crap… This is seriously bad."
"!!!" Madoka stiffened in response to his tone. "Guildmaster-san! Is it something dangerous?"
"Yes!!! A huge issue! And one that not even a hunter can fix!!" Kairo looked devastated as he turned to Madoka. "I'm so sorry, Madoka… I can't believe I forgot something this important…"
"W-What happened!?" Madoka asked nervously, her expression mirroring his panic.
Then she heard Kairo speak slowly:
"Madoka, you remember that normally, when hunters temporarily leave their worlds and come to the Gathering Hub, time barely flows, right? And you stayed here without returning in order to maximize the time before the Walpurgisnacht arrived."
"Yeah… what about it?" Madoka looked puzzled, not connecting the dots.
"Well… once the target monster enters your world, time starts flowing normally again…" Kairo said ominously. "Because I forgot that, Shagaru Magala arrived in your world yesterday… and you've been here for a full day…"
"Do you remember what you were doing just before you came to the Gathering Hub?"
"I was… going to school!!!"
The realization hit Madoka like a truck.
She'd skipped school! An entire day of classes!
And she hadn't gone home at all that night! She'd been out all night!
From her family's and friends' perspective, Madoka had just disappeared on her way to school and had been missing for a whole day!
And Madoka remembered clearly—that morning she'd come here was the same morning she had the dream about Homura. Meaning the day she skipped school was also the day Homura transferred!
Realizing this, Madoka started panicking. "Guildmaster-san! What should I do?! I've been gone for so long…"
"I'm sorry, Madoka. This is a real-life problem even hunters can't solve."
Kairo hung his head in anguish. "But now we really have a problem. We need to get to your world immediately. It seems like you…"
"Skipped the most important first day of the entire story…"
"Officer! I'm telling you the truth!"
Madoka's father clutched her younger brother in his arms, frantically explaining to the officer, "My daughter has been missing for a whole day already!!"
"Could it be she ran away from home?" the officer asked nonchalantly. "Kids that age run away all the time, you know…"
"No way! Our Madoka isn't like that!" Madoka's mother argued passionately with the officer.
Neither of the parents noticed the shadow that flickered past the window outside the police station, vanishing a second later in the distance.
"Madoka… has really disappeared."
Homura Akemi hugged her arms tightly, her heart filled with dread.
This was the first time she had experienced something like this.
She had transferred to the school yesterday—only to find that the Madoka who was always there to greet her… never showed up.
Even Madoka's friends, Sayaka and Hitomi, had no idea where she went.
Homura had gone nearly mad, freezing time and searching the entire city. She'd even eliminated several Witch Familiars in the process… yet there was no sign of Madoka anywhere.
"What… is going on…"
Her face darkened. "It has to be… Kyubey!!!"
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