"Yes.

Do you get to go home now?"

"Yeah. You're welcome over, still."

"Mn." She feels a little warm all over. It's probably the adrenaline of a near-death experience.

Is Madoka going to wear this outfit on the way home?

Apparently not - a sparkly red shimmer surrounds her, and her outfit turns back into her normal school uniform.

She still looks really pretty in the normal school uniform.

Anyway. Homura will follow Madoka to her house now. "How many people have you saved?"

"Directly - just you... But I've killed a few witches, and those kill people..."

This makes her feel Special, which it definitely shouldn't. "You have probably saved many."

She ducks her head a bit, grinning. "I mean - it hasn't been long..."

"You were sad yesterday. Is this..."

"It was - kinda related, yeah... Well. Really related." She sighs. "I'll tell you once we're at my place, okay? - Oh, my parents don't know. They - can't."

"Understood." She has nothing to say for the rest of the walk, but she has many things to think about.

Madoka greets her father cheerfully enough - he seems relieved to see Homura - then leads the way to her room, flopping with a sigh on her bed.

"So..." she starts, staring at the ceiling. "Being a magical girl's - tough, apparently..."

"Were you hurt?"

"...No. Someone else was."

"It is very dangerous, then."

"Yeah. And - her name was Mami. She'd been - teaching me how to be a magical girl... She'd been a magical girl for a while."

Oh no. "How many others are there?"

"Magical girls? I - don't actually know. I'd have to ask Kyubey..."

"Are you alone?"

"I've got Kyubey? And my - normal friends, like you."

"Does Kyubey protect you?"

"He can give me information, which's really helpful, but he can't actually fight."

"What's wrong?"

"You are doing something very unsafe all by yourself. You will get hurt."