"Why did you suddenly ask me that?"
Fang Zheng did not turn around at Akemi Homura's question. He merely asked calmly. Homura, however, only sighed.
"I don't know... what I should do..."
To be honest, Homura was deeply conflicted at that moment. And the reason was Madoka.
It was true that she had repeated the cycle countless times for Madoka. It was true that Little Flame's feelings for Madoka ran deep. But the problem was... Madoka did not see it that way.
That was only natural. Madoka in this world knew nothing of it all. She did not know what had happened between her and Little Flame in the past, nor had she ever fought alongside her. They lacked enough opportunities to truly get to know one another. To Madoka, Akemi Homura was still merely a somewhat strange transfer student who was also a Magical Girl.
That had been clear when Madoka asked Little Flame to seek Fang Zheng's help with Sayaka's problem. Little Flame had naturally agreed without hesitation. After all, as far as she was concerned, if it was something Madoka wanted her to do, she would do anything.
Yet in response to Little Flame's attitude, Madoka had been exceedingly polite and full of gratitude.
That left Akemi Homura feeling exceptionally disappointed.
It was like believing that you and someone else were friends who would trust each other with your lives, only to find that they still regarded you as an outsider. The feeling was complicated and impossible to put into words.
Of course, this was not Madoka's fault. She knew nothing, and Akemi Homura had told her nothing. In fact, Fang Zheng was the only one who knew of Homura's true experiences so far. And naturally, Homura could not possibly go to Madoka and tell her things