'I guess, yeah. So we can talk after I tell him?'

Mal hums. 'That's probably best, yeah. I get you have questions Kyubey's having trouble answering, but... Well. Seven's a tricky time to wish. You don't have as much freedom as you would at the higher range.'

Sue nods, looks away, and heads off as soon as soon as she spots Shisui.

"I got something to tell you tonight," she says when he asks how her day's gone. "It's a secret."

"Secrets are very important! I'll make sure my schedule's clear, okay?"

"Thanks, Shisui."

"No problem, kiddo."

That night, after dinner (and after a very frustrating argument with Kyubey that she stormed out of), she sits her cousin down.

"So. I got something to tell you. It's really big, so you gotta promise not to freak out, okay?"

Not freaking out doesn't really work like that, but: "Cross my heart."

"So. Uh."

She gets up from the table, stands back...

And transforms into her magical girl raiment.

"Tada? Magic exists."

He blinks pretty hard. Tries not to freak out, which means he takes a few moments. "Have you - always had magic?" he asks at last.

She shakes her head. "Nuh-uh. Got it... Recently. Kinda."

"...What happened?" That is not a happy expression on Sue's face.

"There's things that cause those mass killings. Monsters. I - there was one. In the house. I wished to be strong enough, and I killed it."

He does to kneel beside her and hugs her.

She starts sniffling.

He'll just rub circles on her back for a while.

When she seems to have calmed down a bit: "How can I help?"

"I don't know! Everything's - I'm going to change it, but - "

She takes a deep breath. "I gotta fight witches. Keep them from hurting people. And I gotta get stronger, and figure out everything that's going on."

He nods. "I'll do everything I can to help," he says. "But you got to promise me one thing, okay?"

"...Okay."

"Stay safe. I already lost Cecilia and Miku. I don't want to lose you, too."

"I promise. I won't leave you."

"And I'll be here for you, too, okay squirt?" He reaches out to ruffle her hair.

She bats his hand away. But she's smiling, a bit. "I'll remember."

Hug. "You better."

And, after re-situating themselves around the table: "There's more going on, isn't there?"

"...Yeah. There's a lot." 

And, slowly, she explains everything. Kyubey. The pressure. The odd words he spoke, which stuck in her mind like burrs - Cecilia's body overlapping with the witch - 

It causes her breath to catch in her throat, like she's teetering over the edge of something horrible.