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[NSFW] - Doing Something [Waifu Catalog/PMMM Start]

Part 8 - Tomoe Mami
-WWWWWWWW-
Today wasn't a school day, so that meant that the plan for the day, meeting Mami, didn't have to wait until the end of classes. Still, I took the entire afternoon to, once more, reread the entire relevant parts of the Puella manga, along with the first few episodes of the anime.
So, thirty minutes after four, I was outside Mami's apartment along with Kazumi, waiting for someone to answer the door.
Remember, no talking about the bindings, soul gems, or grief seeds, I sent Kazumi.
Got it, got it, she replied.
I'd talked to the Pleiades beforehand, and asked them not to reveal my secret. This wasn't because I wanted anything bad to happen to her, quite the opposite. It was just that given her lack of knowledge about the Lichbomb and the Witchbomb, along with her bad reaction to the subject, breaking the news would have to be done slowly and carefully.
Which meant that bringing up the subject of grief seeds wasn't a good start.
I recognized Mami, Sayaka, and Madoka as soon as the first came out to answer the door. It was mainly because of the first and the last, whose hairstyle I recognized even at a distance.
Sayaka, unfortunately, did not have a style that recognizable.
Kazumi also recognized the veteran magical girl, and rushed forward. "Mami-sempai!"
Said girl stopped, perplexed. "Who…"
"Do you remember?" Kazumi continued. "You saved me in Asunaro from that drooling witch!"
It took a moment before the light clicked in Mami's eyes. "The girl who was in a hurry!"
"Yes!" Kazumi exclaimed. "I'm Michiru Kazusa; call me Kazumi." She then bowed. "Thanks again for the rescue, Mami-sempai!"
The veteran magical girl just smiled. "It's nothing; I'm glad to have helped."
"Why do you call Mami sempai?" Sayaka asked, stepping forward. Madoka did the same on the other side.
Kazumi blushed, scratching the back of her head with one hand while bringing the other forward, which contained her soul gem.
Her now completely clear soul gem.
I'd taught Umika and Kazumi about the powers granted by Salvation before we'd come here. Umika had been doubtful, only agreeing due to Saki and Niko's examples; Kazumi, who did not have the same ingrained revulsion of witches, tried it near-instantly. Kazumi had a partial transformation doppel, with her head becoming a spherical construct with a great big mouth backed by a wall, while Umika summoned to ride a butterfly made from a giant book, with its antennas being shaped like fountain pens.
Mami stepped back in surprise. "How long have you been a magical girl?" She asked.
Kazumi simply smiled. "The day we met!"
I saw some tension in her shoulders. "Why are you in Mitakihara, then?"
I saw the opportunity to intercede, so I did. "That is because of me, Tomoe-san."
"And you are?" She asked.
"Are you Kazusa-san's father?" Madoka added.
I held back from reacting badly; it was true, I was old enough that it wasn't impossible for me to have a daughter of Kazumi's age. "No, I'm not. Kazumi's group and I are allies, and I'm in Mitakihara for the next three weeks or so."
"And you know about…" Sayaka started, then pointed at Kazumi's gem.
I nodded. "That's part of what I'm in Mitakihara for, actually."
Sayaka turned to Mami. "I thought Kyubey…" She let the words hang.
"My abilities make me immune to Kyubey's modifications," I stated.
Mami looked at me with suspicion.
"I can explain, if you wish," I answered the look. "Though it would be better if we stepped inside."
Kazumi's stomach growled at that exact moment. I swear, the girl could eat half her weight in food each day.
Sayaka smiled, turning to Mami. "Cake?" She asked.
"Indeed, we could go out for a snack," Mami admitted, to which Madoka cheered.
"Lead on," I said, moving to the side to let her pass. "Actually, do you know of a good pastry shop in the city…"
I wasn't going to let Kazumi eat Mami out of her home.
-WWWWWWWW-
The five of us returned to Mami's place with more than a dozen pastries between all of us, paid for by me out of the budget Umika had given me for Kazumi's food expenses.
Clearly, this wasn't anything new.
As such, we all ended up seated at Mami's table, at which the veteran Puella played host and offered us all tea.
No one refused.
The conversation was light while we went through the pastries and what remained of Mami's cake, though once that was done the subjects became serious once more.
"So, your… abilities?" Mami asked.
"I have a few, but mostly defensive and supportive at the moment," I explained, "but the one I can demonstrate the most easily is this." And, at these words, a half-dozen chains sprung out of my shirt straight into the air.
I could have gone for ribbons, but I wanted something physically different from what Mami had.
"I… see," Mami said, and I withdrew them. "Are you some kind of male magical girl? I've never even heard of male magic users in existence," she admitted.
"No, I'm not a male magical girl," I replied, though now that I thought about it, I wouldn't be surprised if a Puella had made the wish to be a boy. "I'm something different, probably unique in this world." The catalog had PvP options, but none of them were selected. Good, since I didn't want to deal with the other types of people and their ways of using the catalog.
I probably was the only one.
"So, why are you involved? Do you require grief seeds as magical girls do?" Mami asked.
I shook my head. "No, I don't," I countered. "I just learned about the situation magical girls are in, and decided to help. Kazumi and her team could use it with the situation they were in."
"Her team?" Mami repeated.
Kazumi waited no time to jump in. "Yes!" She exclaimed. "I have my own team, Mami-sempai!"
The rest of the afternoon was occupied with a discussion of the Pleiades, with Kazumi extolling their virtues, which led to a conversation about magical girls in general. I already knew most of it, though not about the team in the town on the opposite side of the Mitakihara from Kazamino.
It was probably due to Social Talent, but I couldn't help but notice Mami being tense as Kazumi discussed the Pleiades. I intellectually knew about her loneliness and how much her losses had cost her, but seeing it was something different. She was clearly jealous of Kazumi, and trying not to show it.
I said nothing about that, only interjecting to keep the conversation going.
After a couple of hours, however, Mami ended up asking us to go, citing homework. I could tell it was something of an excuse, but let her lead us out.
And, as we were on the way back to the hotel, Kazumi turned to me. "Mami-sempai… wasn't ok, was she?"
I shook my head, unsurprised at the fact that she noticed. "How long were you a magical girl?"
"Seven months," she said after counting for a moment. "Why?"
"Mami has been one for more than two years," I explained, "and most of that time was spent alone."
"That… doesn't make sense!" She exclaimed. "Someone like her must have helped so many people! I can't be her only student!"
"You aren't," I confirmed, "but her students tend to leave her, cutting ties suddenly."
"Why?"
"Because they end up learning one of the secrets of being a magical girl," I said. "Once that happens, most girls regret becoming one and, with Mami defining herself as a magical girl first, that brings a lot of friction." I paused. "Not to mention that Mami is a perfectionist about eliminating witches and familiars, and not everyone can manage her level of effort."
"Then why did I feel like she might attack me at one time?" Kazumi asked.
"Because magical girls are territorial, and Mitakihara is prime real estate," I replied. "How many magical girls do you think a city like Mitakihara can maintain in terms of grief seeds?"
She thought for a minute. "Five, at least. It's comparable to Asunaro, so a little less than what we had should work."
I shook my head. "Mitakihara has two, and one has only been in the city since mid-May."
"That's… that's way too little," Kazumi stated.
I nodded. "Exactly. So there have been girls that came here to try to take her territory from her, to kick her out. She's had to fight many times for Mitakihara all alone and by now, even though she feels lonely, she can't help but see other magical girls as threats."
"And that's why you wanted only me to come!" She exclaimed as she realized why I'd insisted.
"Exactly. I have no problem with Mami meeting the Pleiades but, for a first meeting? Better not to push her too much."
"You are still planning on recruiting her?" She asked, generating a chain out of her sleeve as explanation.
"I'm planning to ask," I countered. "The only issue is that she needs to know about soul gems and witches first, and that is a conversation with significant risks." I took a deep breath. "We'll have to go slow on this."
"Right!" She exclaimed, and her stomach grumbled.
I raised an eyebrow. "Again?"
"It's already been two hours!" She argued.
"It's only been two hours!" I countered.View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
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