Freeze. Not a moment of dissociation, but genuine trepidation. Cecilia freezes, just a block away from her destination as the gym comes into view. “New Eden.” The sign was impossible to ignore, and even more impossible to miss. She looks down with a sigh, her companions already a length ahead of her before stopping.

Cecilia: …I don’t know if I can do this.

Kiwako: (She walks back, calmly rather than bounding back in her usual demeanor) …I know. But you have to. She’s gonna need you there. …Okay, bad example. She’s gonna tolerate you being there now, Cece-chan.

Cecilia: …I’m not so sure.

Kiwako takes one of Cecilia’s hands in both of her own. Her voice is lower, more serious. Kiwako spends way too much time speaking normally these days, Cecilia would often muse.

Kiwako: …Then let’s walk together. While I tell you a story.

Riko: Huh?! You don’t mean—

Rio: A-Are you sure, Kiwa-chan—

Kiwako: …Kiwako. My name is Kiwako Kobayashi.  Just this once, okay? Let me be myself just this once.

Kiwako clears her throat, then begins walking hand in hand with Cecilia.

Kiwako: …I was born in Kamihama City in 1987. Yui has most of the details by now, since she had that Balancer kid who’s dating Koharu now take my picture with his special camera. So I’ll keep it brief. We never had money, but Papa always did his best. My mother drank a lot, and it caused a lot of issues. Papa was never home. My mother was never awake. I was lonely from the start. Then, Papa got into some trouble. My mom got arrested for how little she took care of me, the same time Papa did. I didn’t understand it at all. So I hid. The police didn’t find me when my parents went to jail, so they figured I’d run away or something. I didn’t care what happened to my mother, but I wanted Papa back. So I hid from the police every chance I could while I stole what I needed to in order to stay alive. Kyubey found me around then. Being the stupid kid I was, I didn’t wish for Papa to come home, or a new family, or to undo any of that. No, I just stupidly told Kyubey I didn’t wanna be alone anymore. That was my wish. Apparently, I had a lot of potential. I think “karma” or “fate” was the word Kyubey used. My wish became the aura over Kamihama that you all know about. Anyone, even now, that passes into or through Kamihama that has an inkling of magic in them is drawn to me to become my friend. I… did my best to never exploit or abuse that power, even early on. I was just happy to have friends, especially when I didn’t know how to fight Witches. I learned the truth about magical girls becoming Witches pretty early, but as they came and went, more friends came to keep me stable. It was getting harder and harder, watching people I love that came to love me lose themselves, but I had enough to stay stable. …And because I did, you know what Kyubey did in response. He sent High Priestess Caelum. That’s what she called herself. She formed my group of friends at the time— including Rio and Riko— into something she called “The Coven.” She taught us about a strange power, one she called ‘Venefica in Puella’ which was probably meant to turn me or all of us into Witches. When that didn’t work… she began killing or chasing off my friends, or forcing them to go Witch, and in general, isolate me. …I became a Witch. A powerful one, like Kyubey wanted. But Yui would tell you that a Witch’s behavior is based on the regret in her soul and her wish as a Puella. I didn’t attack anyone. I wanted friends. A family. To not be alone anymore. My power persisted over Kamihama even afterwards, and my barrier expanded over the entire city. A bit ironic that the effect only got stronger after that, but… maybe that’s why Diana Caelum didn’t kill me. I did attack her, but she didn’t fight back. She just… ran. Rio and Riko, they hid during Divider’s onslaught, and when Diana left, they started helping keep me grounded. We reformed a new Coven, with me as the ‘Mother’ this time. …I don’t remember when I got my sense of awareness back, nor do I know how I got to keep a human-looking form in my barrier. Maybe it was just a projection of my wish, I honestly don’t know. Yui would. But I don’t. I learned a lot… I learned about why Rio and Riko were there, about Venefica in Puella itself… I learned to manifest it in my barrier as a power called ‘Doppel’ and that helped keep my Coven close to me. We bonded. …They all know the truth, the twins here made sure of that. They knew I was a Witch, and they were trapped in my barrier. But they… they wanted to be my friends. And they still do. It’s the same for you, for the twins… for Hanako and Yuzuki now, too… and for her. For Diana. …But if I ever saw her again? I would… I would rip her fucking head off.

A tear rolls down Kiwako’s cheek, but she quickly wipes it away.

Kiwako: The rest you know, Cecilia. I had a snowglobe that had a shard of your Soul Gem in it from before I made my wish, and we became friends that way. You then found your way into my barrier to keep your promise and free me, no matter how many times I looped that month. You always played your part to perfection, until it was time for me to wake up. …Someday, I’ll ask Yui how I’m still alive. 

The quartet stop at the doors to New Eden, and Kiwako clears her throat. Her voice is a little higher, but not enough to say the mask is on.

Kiwako: Ready… Cece-chan?

Cecilia: …I suppose… it’s now or never… Kiwako.

Kiwako: …Kiwa-chan.

Cecilia lets out a little chuckle as the double doors slowly open.