Aren't You Forgetting Something (Part 4)

The hustle and bustle of a busy city center is always a joy to take in.

A woman and child emerge from a small bakery on the corner, a box in the woman's hands. The young boy at her side pulls on his mother's coat until she acquiesces and 6takes out one of the round and fluffy cream puffs they just bought. Then, across the street, a group of high school girls chat about the movie they plan to watch. One of them keeps her left hand on the candy bar in her jacket pocket, still buzzing off the adrenaline of the petty theft. Finally, a weary-looking man shambles down the stairs into the subway. He nearly trips because his eyes are glued to the screen of his phone, where a familiar white fox is gesturing.

Ah... I want to tease Mi-chan a little, but she'll have to wait 'til later.

Overlooking it all is none other than Madoka. Perched on a fire escape, she leans forward like someone might lean into the screen at a critical point in a football match. Yet, all she's doing is watching completely mundane humans go about their days. Others might find it mind-numbing, but with how much she gleams in every detail, any random moment felt like she was watching a pivotal scene in a show that only watches play out. Her fondness for killing time peeking into others' private lives made it a wonder she didn't cash in easy checks from being an Illustrator. The money certainly couldn't hurt, and she wouldn't even have to do any of the nastier stuff Gazers get up to if pesky things like morals were roadblocks. She'd just be doing what she always does. What happened afterward had nothing to do with her. More importantly, it'd give her a front-row seat to watch the petties of drama layout.

Hmm? Where's my little kitty wandering off to? Looks like I'll need to check up on him.

Her thoughts are reeled back in, and she descends from her perch in a blur of motion. The momentum from the control is carried into a sprint as she takes off at full speed in a seemingly random direction.

Far, far away from the downtown buzz, a man stands around a mass covered by a sheet in the interior of a run-down warehouse. He shifts uncomfortably, checking his watches and tapping his foot as he waits. When his boredom is interrupted by the sensation of something brushing against his leg, he looks around frantically with his gun drawn. At first, it seems like there's no one around, and he must have imagined it, but a loud Meow pulls his attention to a two-tailed cat sitting atop the mass. Rather than lowering his weapon, he glares at the cat.

"Come on, what's that look for? I just thought we could play a bit before getting down to business~"

"You're late."

The cat hisses, and in a moment, a glaring woman takes its place.

"Tch. Had to kill time. Some bitch was busting my ass last week, so wanted to make sure she wasn't tailing me. Anyway, I'm here now. You got what my boss wanted?"

"You're sitting on 'em, and you're not doing more than that until I see the payment."

"Boo~! We've never cheated you before."

"it's standard."

The nekomata rolls her eyes as her chest splits open, and she pulls out a small box that she proceeds to toss at her companion. He stumbles to catch it while she hops down and pulls the sheet off to reveal a pile of crates. Inside are the only things a spirit really wants from the Mortal World that aren't made of flesh: firearms, ammunition, and lots of it. The nekomata grins as she takes out a rifle and pretends to shoot it.

"Phew. Definitely worth some pills. Make sure to let us know when- What the fuck!?"

When she turns around, her business partner is being held down by a familiar raven-haired woman. Madoka doesn't look away from him, but the visible eyes on her arms snap to the shocked kitty, and her lips curl into a wry smile.

"It is a pretty good deal, huh? Everyone wants to live just a little bit longer, and someone with cash and connections would have a problem getting their hands on these."

Her comment earns a hiss and a volley of fireballs in response. Madoka pulls the thug up and uses him as a meat shield, the smell of burning flesh and his panicked screams filling the warehouse. Tossing him aside, she bolts toward the nekomata, who reaches into an opening in her body to receive something — poisoned needles that would be a pain to deal with. She'd be too close to properly evade them while also taking care not to get burned if she didn't know where they would land.

The moment comes, and instead of attempting to back off, she lunges forward while twisting her body in a show of flexibility that brings the presence of her bones into question. All except for one of the needles sails harmlessly past her. The sole exception is kicked out of the air by the tip of her shoes, and makes its mark in the nekomata's exposed thigh instead. It takes effect instantly as she becomes less steady, bracing herself against the crates as she wobbles. Regardless, the impact of Madoka colliding with her ensures that she doesn't stay standing much longer. Madoka doesn't waste time restraining her as she squirms beneath the Stalker.

"So feisty! I'd love to keep playing, but there's somewhere I have to be after this. So, just let me take a little peek inside, kitty..."

The struggle dies as down as the paralysis kicks, but a jolt seems to travel through the nekomata's body as her eyes widen. Underneath the covering on her forehead, Madoka's milky third eye also widens as it drinks in her memories. There's a certain appeal to this, too, but it's a little boring to know how things end up. That doesn't bother Madoka too much, though. Soon enough, her smile grows, and her eye relaxes.

"Now that's interesting. I had a guess or two about who wanted these, but I didn't think they'd be for that! I think your boss and I should have a chat."

But that would have to wait. If she cleaned up and left now, there would still be time to pay a certain someone a visit...

"Oh~? Mai-Mai, you rascal! Throwing yourself at me while Mi-chan's watching!"

"I just tripped! Y-You're the one on top of me!"

Madoka giggles and lets out a hiccup as she cuddles against Maihime. Suddenly, she rolls them both to the side and clenches her eyes shut. A moment later, the area where they were previously lying erupts in an explosion.

"Stay still so I can liquidate you!" Kyomi yells as she fires off several more blasts of energy.

"How could you— HIC, how could be so mean to a guest?" Madoka whines.

"You weren't invited, you creep!"

"Yuh huh! Mai-Mai let me in!"

"...I-I didn't mean to. Why is the world so...so spiny!?"

Rolling and rolling around, Maihime begins to struggle to keep her lunch down. Meanwhile, Kyomi grows more frustrated from only managing to damage her flooring while having to listen to the Stalker's constant giggling.
hurt
"That's it! I'm gonna kill you dumbasses if you don't die already!" Several mannequins fill the room, surrounding the drunken pair. Normally, they may not have been much of a problem. However, with the two as they currently were, they weren't likely to come out unscathed. And that future really looked like it hurt, so it was in their best interest to avoid the gang suicide bombing altogether.

"Wait!"

Surprisingly, Kyomi hesitates to have her mannequins blow them both to pieces. Probably because she realized how much damage it would cause to her room, and she didn't feel like replacing her equipment. Sitting up to straddle Maihime, Madoka crosses her arms and gives Kyomi a severe look. There was only one thing to do in this situation.

"Mods, run a poll for whether Mi-chan liquidates us!"

"Those worthless motes of dust don't know anything. And stop telling my mods to do shit!"

"Chat...please tell her not to fire me..."

"Mods, do a gamba for whether Me-Mei gets fired! And do another poll for if Mi-chan should drink with us!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?'