On March 5th, at midnight, Shiga Taka sat in front of the television, watching Episode 9 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
The episode picked up where the eighth left off, with Sayaka's Soul Gem shattering and her transforming from a magical girl into a Witch.
The Mermaid Witch.
Her design was as unsettling as the other Witches, but she was taller and more distinctive. Her upper body seemed draped in a black cloak, tied at the neck with a blood-red tie, and two swords were tucked at her waist.
Within her Barrier were various musical notes and train tracks, symbolizing the two reasons for her curse and transformation into a Witch: the Kyosuke Kamijo incident and the train pervert incident.
From the Witch's appearance to the Barrier's setting, everything was clearly meticulously designed.
However, since it was being broadcast on television, he couldn't pause the show. Shiga Taka, sitting in front of the screen, couldn't examine the details carefully. He could only jot down notes and study the recording later.
Although Sayaka's body had been drawn into the Barrier, it was only her soul that had transformed into a Witch; her physical body remained intact and unharmed on the surface.
Kyoko didn't understand what was happening, but she immediately transformed into a magical girl and rushed towards Sayaka's body, catching her.
"Ugh!"
The Witch roared, her voice sounding like a pained sob.
Kyoko, holding Sayaka's body, slowly descended from mid-air. Facing the Witch, she said angrily, "What the hell? What are you? What did you do to Sayaka?"
The Witch naturally didn't answer, instead launching an attack at Kyoko.
Unable to fight at full strength while holding Sayaka, Kyoko was quickly struck. Just in time, Homura Akemi appeared, grabbing Kyoko's hand and activating her time-stopping ability.
With everything inside the Barrier frozen in time, Homura dragged Kyoko away, explaining as they went, until they carried Sayaka's body out of the Barrier and into the outside world.
Opening sequence plays.
In front of the TV, Shiga Taka couldn't help thinking, "It looks like Sayaka is really beyond saving."
The sweet and heartwarming Episode 9 that Old Thief Lin promised must have been a lie.
That bastard can't be trusted about anything.
Fortunately, his favorite character wasn't Sayaka, but Kyoko. No matter how heartbreaking Sayaka's storyline got, he could accept it as long as Kyoko was safe.
While the opening sequence was playing, Shiga Taka pulled out his phone and found the official character popularity poll for the animation online. He cast his vote for "Sakura Kyoko."
Though she initially appeared as an antagonist, she wasn't truly evil. She had a tragic past, yet faced the present with optimism and resilience. Her earlier actions, which had caused trouble, were actually for Sayaka's own good, not born from a baseless dislike.
More importantly, this Kyoko was an utterly adorable food lover, and not in a shallow, moe way. She was the kind of character who was perfectly normal in her words and actions, yet still radiated an irresistible charm.
Who could resist such a charming food lover?
As long as Kyoko survived to the end, Shiga Taka wouldn't hold any grudges. His curses at "Old Thief Lin" were just following the crowd; in his heart, Lin Zhiyan remained the god-like Animation Director.
On the TV, after the OP and GG finished, the main episode finally began.
Beside the train tracks.
The Main Character, dejected after searching everywhere for Sayaka and finding no trace of her, suddenly saw Homura Akemi and Kyoko walking slowly towards her, with Kyoko cradling Sayaka's body in her arms like a princess.
"Sayaka!"
The Main Character gasped and rushed forward, asking, "What happened to Sayaka?"
Kyoko turned her head away, unable to meet the Main Character's gaze.
The Main Character then asked about the state of Sayaka's Soul Gem.
Homura Akemi replied, "After her Soul Gem transformed into a Grief Seed, it gave birth to a Witch and vanished."
She then revealed the final secret of the Soul Gem: "When this gem is tainted and turns black, we become Grief Seeds and are reborn as Witches. This is an inescapable fate for anyone who becomes a magical girl."
A train sped past on the side.
The Main Character looked incredulous. "You're lying, you have to be! Right?"
"How could this happen? Why? Sayaka wanted to protect humanity from Witches, to be a hero... she became a magical girl with that in mind, but..." She knelt on the ground, her voice choked with tears.
Homura Akemi said coldly, "She bears a curse equivalent to the weight of her wish. For every person she saved, she will now harm an equal number."
This was intended to make the Main Character fully grasp the cruel truth about magical girls.
However, Kyoko couldn't stand it any longer. She gently laid Sayaka's body down, spun around, and grabbed Homura Akemi by the collar, shouting at her and even demanding, "Why are you talking so smugly? This is Sayaka's... Sayaka's best friend! Are you even human?!"
Homura Akemi remained perfectly calm. "Of course not. Neither are you."
After this scene, the camera cut to the Main Character's home.
She sat on her bed, utterly dejected.
Kyubey suddenly appeared outside her window. "May I come in? I have something to say."
"You're still alive," the Main Character murmured, her voice heavy with despair.
Once Kyubey entered the room, she asked, "Is what Homura said true?"
"There's nothing to correct," Kyubey replied matter-of-factly.
Despite his words, he felt no remorse for his actions, insisting it was all for the sake of extending the universe's lifespan.
He explained the source of magical girl power, how they are created, and the supposed noble significance of their sacrifices.
Even the most twisted logic sounded convincing when Kyubey spun it.
The Main Character, however, disagreed with every word.
Kyubey said, "Madoka, someday you'll become the greatest magical girl, and then the most evil Witch, won't you? At that time, we'll gain unimaginable power. If you ever wish to die for the sake of this universe, come find me anytime. I'll be waiting."
With that, Kyubey left the Main Character's home to find Kyoko.
Kyoko still refused to give up on Sayaka. She had taken Sayaka's body back and was using her own power to keep it fresh.
When she met Kyubey, she asked, "Is there any way to get Sayaka's Soul Gem back?"
"As far as I know, no," Kyubey replied.
By not saying it was impossible, Kyubey gave Kyoko a glimmer of hope.
The next day, Kyoko approached the Main Character, asking her to try calling out to Sayaka and see if she could regain her memories as a human, even as a Witch.
"Maybe if we cut that Witch in half, her Soul Gem would roll out instead of a Grief Seed, and it would be a story where love and courage triumph, wouldn't it? I became a magical girl because of that same ideal, even though I completely forgot. Sayaka reminded me of that," Kyoko said.
Of course, she didn't intend to force the Main Character. In her view, it was a very dangerous attempt, and she couldn't guarantee the Main Character's safety. The Main Character had every right to refuse.
Yet, even though she knew it would be dangerous, the Main Character shook her head and said she wanted to help.
As they walked and talked, they found the entrance to the Barrier and entered it.
As they continued deeper into the Barrier, the Main Character couldn't help but pour out her worries to Kyoko, asking if it was cowardly to not become a magical girl.
Kyoko retorted, "Why do you think you need to become a magical girl? Don't underestimate me! This job isn't for just anyone. Those who get to eat delicious food every day, surrounded by happy families, and live lives free from any constraints—I won't allow someone like that to become a magical girl on a whim. If they try, I'll be the first to smash it all to pieces."
The two continued forward until they were discovered and brought before the Mermaid Witch.
Lost in a dream of past emotions, the Witch moved the entire concert hall with her. The wheel of fate carried only her memories, no longer spinning toward the future.
As planned, the Main Character called out to Sayaka, but nothing could reach her.
The Mermaid Witch before them was not Sayaka at all, but merely a being who could not tolerate anyone interfering with her subordinates' performance.
Her eyes began to fall out one by one, and she soon attacked the Main Character and Kyoko.
The Mermaid Witch was immensely powerful. Moreover, Kyoko still held onto the hope of saving Sayaka and did not fight with her full strength. The result was that she was brutally beaten.
Bang! Bang!
After two devastating blows, Kyoko was sent crashing to the ground.
Before she could rise, the Witch's massive hand reached for her. At the critical moment, the Main Character stepped in front of her, taking her place as the Witch's hand closed around her.
Seeing the Main Character about to be crushed to death, Kyoko rushed forward and severed the Witch's hand.
Although she had successfully saved the Main Character, Kyoko suffered another devastating blow from the Witch.
Boom!
The floor of the concert hall was shattered.
The unconscious Main Character, lying on the ground, fell through the collapsing floor.
The Witch and Kyoko, her body stained with blood, also plummeted downward.
Tears streamed from her eyes as Kyoko felt the weight of despair: "Please, God, after a life like this, at least let me have one happy dream."
At the critical moment, Homura Akemi arrived and rescued the Main Character.
Kyoko's weapon clattered to the floor as she collapsed.
Struggling to her feet, she greeted Homura Akemi and said, "Take care of her. She's the one who dragged me into this foolishness."
Homura Akemi opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to join the fight, but was blocked by Kyoko's power barrier.
"You're a 'no-burden' combatant, aren't you? That's right. All that matters is protecting the one thing you want to protect until the end."
Kyoko gave a self-mocking laugh. "Why? I should have been doing this all along."
She untied her hair ribbon, knelt on the ground in a prayer-like posture, and said, "Go now. Leave this one to me."
After seeing the Main Character and Homura Akemi off, Kyoko enlarged her weapon and spoke in a remarkably gentle voice:
"Don't worry, Sayaka."
"It must be lonely being alone, right?"
"It's okay now, I'm here with you, Sayaka."
She kissed her Soul Gem and unleashed all her remaining power.
The Soul Gem shattered, and a crimson light erupted, followed by a scene like a nuclear explosion.
In front of the television, Shiga Taka watched, torn between anger and emotion.
He was furious that Kyoko, his favorite character, had been written out so abruptly after so little build-up in the previous episodes. Yet he was also moved by the poignancy of her sacrifice.
Initially, Kyoko had been the one targeting Sayaka. Who would have thought she would be the one to stay by Sayaka's side and perish with the Witch Sayaka had become?
As he thought this, Shiga Taka couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"Why did such a wonderful character like Kyoko have to end up like this?"
"What happened to the sweet and heartwarming story they promised?"
"Damn it, that Old Thief Lin is such a bastard."
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