Magia Record Another Story Chapter 10
This section may contain major spoilers!
Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media released.Chapter 10: The Place We Finally Reached
Section 1: A Vague Uncertainty
Homura thinks back on all that’s happened. She’s finally made it to the finish line after failing countless number of times. Despite this, Homura isn’t happy. Even though Walpurgisnacht has been defeated and Madoka saved, Homura isn’t entirely sure this is the best outcome. Even if Walpurgis is now gone, Magical Girls are still bound to their fate which causes Homura to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if Madoka never contracted to begin with. Homura turns things over in her mind again, still unable to come up with an answer. This timeline is radically different from the others, which may have been the reason they were able to defeat Walpurgis. As she stands lost in thought, Madoka calls out her name and catches up to her. She greets her and smiles at the warm morning sun. Madoka suggests they all get pancakes together just as Sayaka and Mami appear. Madoka asks Mami if she remembers the pancake place they went to before and Mami agrees it’s a great idea for them to all go together there now. Sayaka knows if food is involved, Kyoko will be sure to join them as well. As the girls smile and laugh together, Homura finds herself looking at them. She knows they’re all safe and sound, and even Kyoko is safe back in Kazamino City, but still Homura can’t bring herself to feel happy. She’s still not sure if Madoka has truly been saved and whether or not she should continue staying in this timeline.
Now at school, the girls meet on the rooftop during lunch. Mami tells Madoka about the three people that have gone missing in the last few days as well as several reports of people getting lost on familiar roads. Sayaka believes it’s the work of a Witch and Mami agrees, especially now that things in Kamihama have calmed down. Mami looked up the reports online and traced them back to where they all occurred. They all agree to meet up at Mami’s place after school to look the data over. They realize that lunch is almost over and the girls try to hurry eating. Homura thinks about how Witches still exist and how Madoka is still in danger so long as she must fight them. Even though Walpurgis is gone, the danger isn’t and Homura wonders if she’ll be able to keep Madoka safe during each subsequent battle.
The girls soon run into Kyoko in the city. They ask what she’s doing so far from her home in Kazamino. Kyoko had been hunting down a Witch, but this Witch keeps moving from place to place which makes it difficult to track down. Mami wonders if this Witch could be related to the missing people cases in Kazamino as well. Kyoko is surprised to find she knows about that and tells them to back off from her prey. Mami insists that now that the Witch is in Mitakihara, it can’t be allowed to continue to spread its curses and hurt others. Kyoko isn’t willing to back down though and is prepared to fight until Mami assures her she doesn’t want to keep Kyoko from hunting it down. Madoka steps in and breaks things up, asking Kyoko to help them share the info and they can decide what to do with the Witch once they’ve found it. Kyoko agrees to work with the others since she needs any info they have on the Witch and they all head towards Mami’s place. Madoka and Sayaka note the tension between Mami and Kyoko while Homura silently looks on.
At Mami’s place the girls look over a map. On the map Mami has marked the disappearances in one color and reports of getting lost in familiar places in another color. As they look at the patterns on the map, they notice that the Witch seems to keep returning to certain areas and tends to avoid crowded places. It seems as if the Witch is lost and doesn’t know where it’s going. Kyoko suggests they just trace its magic, but Mami points out that strategy hasn’t been working for either of them or they’d have spotted it by now which leaves them with no way to know where the Witch will be. Kyoko gets upset and prepares to leave until Sayaka calms her down. Mami finishes what she was going to say, namely that they can at least determine how far the Witch can travel and search in the area she was last seen. Kyoko points out where she last felt the Witch’s magic as Mami draws a circle on the map. The group agrees to go together and cover the area on foot and hopefully together they can circle in on the Witch.
Section 2: What I Want to Protect
Sayaka and Kyoko will be covering the eastern half of the circle that Mami drew on the map while Homura and Madoka search the western half. They agree to meet up at a library near the center afterwards. Kyoko insists she can hunt the Witch down by herself, but Sayaka is more worried that it may be a Witch that wandered from Kamihama which makes it more dangerous than usual. Kyoko gets defensive, but Sayaka points out that this way Kyoko can keep an eye on them to make sure they’re not tricking her. Kyoko recalls a time when Mami offered her a grief seed out of kindness and becomes visibly upset. Mami reminds them they need to hurry and stop the Witch before it hurts more people. Kyoko takes off running as Mami and Sayaka hurry to catch up.
Madoka and Homura begin their search for the Witch, walking up and down alleyways and keeping a look out for anything suspicious. As they're walking, Madoka asks Homura if anything is wrong, noting she’s had a serious look on her face the past few days. Homura doesn’t know how to explain her dilemma to Madoka, who assures her she doesn’t have to talk about anything she doesn’t want to. Madoka guesses that Homura is having a hard time deciding what to do about something. She explains to Homura how she had made her parents worry with everything that happened in Kamihama. But she knows she’ll make them worry again eventually due to her responsibilities as a magical girl. Suddenly, they note the magical signature of the Witch and realize it must be close by.
Madoka calls out telepathically to Sayaka, who is also closing in on the Witch. Homura and Madoka note that the Witch seems to be going in circles and probably won't be leaving the immediate area. The Witch changes direction and Mami figures it must be heading in the direction of the supermarket. Kyoko points out a shortcut (all the while insisting she's not working with the others to Mami's dismay) and the group heads towards the Witch. The girls soon regroup, with Mami and Sayaka noting the increased awkwardness between Mami and Kyoko due to their familiarity with each other.
They soon find the Witch and enter its barrier. Inside, civilians wander about dazed due to the Witch's kiss that has been placed on them. Kyoko leaps towards the Witch with Sayaka following close behind. Mami asks Homura to take care of the captives while she and Madoka act as support. Homura attempts to help the captives escape, but familiars swarm around them. As Homura attempts to get in closer, Madoka fires her arrows and helps cover Homura so she can help the captives. Meanwhile Kyoko is struggling with the Witch's broad-range attacks and is about to be hit when Mami uses her ribbons to pull Kyoko safely away from the attack. Kyoko tells Mami to keep the ribbon tied to her and whip her above the Witch's head so Kyoko can attack from above. The attack is successful but the Witch remains intact. Sayaka attempts to fight it head on but to no avail as the Witch turns its sights onto Mami and Madoka. Homura looks on in fear as she worries that something might happen to them, and so soon after the defeat of Walpurgisnacht. But Kyoko and Sayaka are able to knock the Witch off balance, causing its attack to miss its target. Madoka isn't done yet as she believes that all their efforts will eventually pay off. Kyoko and Sayaka cut down a path so Mami and Madoka can finish off the Witch together. With the Witch defeated, Homura hurries to get the captives out before the barrier collapses. While she's doing so, she thinks about how they're all working in a team and are stronger collectively.
Outside the barrier the team breathes a collective sigh of relief now that the Witch has been vanquished and its captives freed. Kyoko tosses the Grief Seed to Mami, saying she doesn't want to be indebted to anyone. Mami sighs once more and looks down. During the moment of awkwardness, Sayaka pipes up and says how she has no regrets about becoming a Magical Girl. She knows they may one day turn into Witches and they have many responsibilities now, but even so they also have the power to protect the people important to them. Also, she made many precious friends she never would have made otherwise had she not contracted. With that said, Sayaka urges Mami and Kyoko to speak their feelings about each other. Kyoko claims she has nothing to say, while Mami recalls a time when she still wanted to walk down the same path with Kyoko and protect each other. Mami turns to Kyoko and tells her she doesn't have to abandon her conviction of only using her power for herself in order for them to work together. She tells them how when she was in Kamihama she wanted to protect everyone but ended up acting in her own self interest. However, Kyoko ended up helping everyone in the process of acting in her own interests. Even if it was a coincidence, the end result was the same and Mami hopes they could fight together the next time their goals align even if their convictions differ. With all of that in Mind, Mami wants to be true friends with Kyoko, the kind of friends that help each other when they really need it. Kyoko looks taken aback at everything Mami has said and roughly tells her she'll make use of her when she needs her if Mami is willing to go that far, before smiling warmly at her friend and telling her she can do the same. Sayaka pokes fun at Kyoko's tough act before Kyoko turns on her like usual, causing Madoka to laugh.
As Madoka finishes laughing, she too says she's glad she became a Magical girl, much to Homura's surprise. Madoka has faith in the future and in their hopes thanks to all the wonderful friends she's made since contracting. As she says this, Homura thinks back to the time when she awoke at the beginning of a new time loop and wanted to tell everyone the truth about how Kyubey had been lying to them but knew that no one would believe her. Back then she didn't think anyone would have believed her much less accepted their fate, but now that they know the truth they are trying to overcome it together. Madoka still hasn't given up on the future, or on hope. Together, they might be able to overcome this last hurdle, which would mean this timeline might be the one. Homura weeps gently with tears of joy, causing Mami to offer her her handkerchief as Madoka asks what's wrong. Homura smiles, wiping away a tear as she tells the others how happy she is she could make it here, to a place where they'll protect one another no matter what.
Soon after the girls go to the pancake restaurant and have a big meal of pancakes together. Kyoko is determined to eat as many as she can while Mami warns her not to overdue it or she won't be able to walk anymore. Madoka reminds the others about the meeting in Kamihama to talk about what the Magius did. Kyoko says she has no interest in going and asks them to give her the gist of the meeting once they're back as she digs in to another stack of pancakes. Mami and Sayaka sigh as they figure they'll just pick her up on their way back.