Yuzuki sits nervously by the phone in her dorm room. Once, it was home to both her and Emiri, until she transferred to the botany college. Now, Yuzuki wasn’t sure if she would like Emiri to be here or not. 

Every time she hears footsteps in the hallway, Yuzuki snaps to attention. She has the TV on quiet– Yuzuki never watches TV, but anything else would take up too much attention. When the knock finally comes on the door, she doesn’t hear footsteps at all, and Yuzuki jumps. She hurries to the door, opening it just slightly, leaving the chain on. Melati stands outside. She waves silently. After a moment’s hesitation, Yuzuki lets her in. 

Yuzuki steps back as Melati enters, keeping her distance. She shuts the door, keeping it unlocked for a quick escape.

Melati: Somewhere I can put my coat?

Yuzuki: U-uh, on the hook by the door. 

Melati: (She puts her coat up) There’s no need to be so wary. If I was going to do something in this town, I would have done it long ago. 

Yuzuki: … Maybe you would have. 

Melati: You called me here today because you’re ready to talk about Kyubey, no? Then let’s talk. (She pulls out her holographic note-taking device) I’ve heard he took it upon himself to kill Alice’s aunt Mikoto, rather than going through a Balancer. So let’s start with… wishes that you think wouldn’t be wise or productive.

Yuzuki: (Fascinated by her Incubator device, Yuzuki takes a second to respond) … By that you mean, Puellae that aren’t very likely to become a Witch, don’t you.

Melati: Yes. Puellae that aren’t likely to become a Witch, or who he knew, or should have known, would be disruptive to the balance by causing trouble or exposing magic. 

Yuzuki: You mean like that crazy one, Shiori?

Melati: It seems he intended for her to be a Balancer for this town specifically, and then no doubt he planned to dispose of her right after. Let’s talk about other Puellae. 

Yuzuki: … Where to even start? I know the younger girls dealt with some girl named Tomatsu who used her Puella powers to bully other girls and recruit like twenty-some-odd Puellae. Kyubey was right there for all of it. I mean, he’d have to be to make their contracts, right? 

Melati: (She quickly makes a note on her holographic display, speaking with some concealed anger) Yes, he certainly would have. Tomatsu who? 

Yuzuki: Uh… Rui, I think. 

Melati: I’ll look into that. Anyone else?

Yuzuki: … Anisa.

Melati: Nobunaga? Yes, there’s a possibility he knew granting her wish was a poor idea. It was quite a few years ago, so he’s doing everything he can to block access to those records. Don’t think he can keep us away forever. Anyone else? (After a short, uncomfortable silence) I should say, the people you’re naming aren’t going to suffer any consequence. This is about Kyubey’s conduct only. You shouldn’t feel like you can’t tell me about friends of your own. Personally, I already think Yui was probably some poor planning on his part.

Yuzuki: … I don’t know. How does this work? I’ve never heard of him just saying “no” to a wish. 

Melati: Outside of a person’s soul not being strong enough for what they want, or wishing for something crazy like asking for an Incubator to die, it’s generally not allowed to just say no to a wish. Best practice is to not approach or break off contact with dangerous wish-makers before it gets to that point. Maybe you wouldn’t guess it, but Incubators do a lot of work with psychological profiling and statistics before they even speak to you. (She pulls a document up on her display)

Your friend Kohaku, for instance. Far too old and too stable to be likely to become a Witch. But Kyubey actually got a permit for that one, as part of regular testing to make sure cultural shifts haven’t changed what they know about who makes the best Puellae.

Yuzuki: … And they can undo wishes?

Melati: (She stops scrolling and looks at Yuzuki, then pushes the device aside) We can talk about that now, sure. Yes, it’s possible. A lot of the time it’s not feasible, but since your wish only affected yourself, it’s more manageable than most. 

Yuzuki: … Just for telling you about Kyubey?

Melati: You can thank your friends for that. You wouldn’t believe how hard I have to work to get anything from them on someone who should be our mutual enemy.

Yuzuki: (She takes a step back) And I suppose since you’re offering, you must know all about me.

Melati: Not all. Kyubey doesn’t hold that much interest in you. 

Yuzuki: (She folds her arms) I suppose I should be grateful. 

Melati: …? Oh, you mean because you weren’t a focus of his Balancing attempt? (She glances over at her display as if the answer was there) … it seems, compared to your more hot-blooded friends who would stay and fight and be beaten, he judged you would be likely to flee and raise the alarm at the first sign of trouble. Given your abilities, it would be hard to stop you in time to keep the element of surprise on everyone else. 

Yuzuki: (bitterly) Great.

Melati: Honestly, if that’s true, I’d say you would be making the right decision. What’s the sense in going to your death? 

Yuzuki: (She walks away, evidently upset. With an annoyed sigh, she fumbles noisily with the kitchen equipment) 

Melati: Kyubey noted here you developed another personality when you made your contract. Am I speaking to her?

Yuzuki: No. Absolutely not.

Melati: Really? Did Kyubey lie? 

Yuzuki: (She sighs) I’m not letting her out. She’s gone. I haven’t heard from her in nearly a year.

Melati: I’ve heard of cases of wishes affecting one’s personality… even cases like Anisa aside. Usually, though, it happens immediately together with the wish. I’ve never heard of a personality change creeping in so slowly it’s still not done after over four years.

Yuzuki: Well, that’s what happened. God willing, she’s gone for good now. 

Melati: … I see. (After a pause) Shall we start with Anisa and Rui then? No harm in telling me about either of them. 

Yuzuki: … (With a long sigh) Tea?

Melati: Please.