By the time Kozue and Yachiyo returned to the adjustment shop, half an hour had already passed.
Although they had successfully rescued Kaede Akino, everyone looked somewhat confused and frustrated.
They had defeated the Witch, yet they had not obtained a Seed of Sadness.
For Magical Girls, that was a massive loss.
Fortunately, there had been enough of them this time, and they had taken down that strange Witch without much effort. Otherwise, they would have been completely screwed. Without a Seed of Sadness to absorb their corruption, this battle had practically been for nothing.
However, after they returned, they learned from Yachiyo that Red Ponytail had run off again...
"Huh? Didn't I tell her to wait here?"
Hearing Yachiyo's answer, Kozue was speechless. The shopkeeper Yachiyo nodded as well.
"Yes. That child had been sitting there obediently the whole time, but not long ago, she suddenly seemed to sense something. She stared out the window for quite a while, then walked outside."
"Not long ago?"
At those words, Yachiyo's expression suddenly changed.
"What time exactly?"
"Um... around twenty minutes ago? Just when you were about to come back?"
"What is it, Yachiyo?"
Momoko had known Yachiyo for a long time. Seeing her expression, she immediately knew something was wrong.
"Is there a problem?"
"If it was then... wasn't that when we defeated that Witch?"
"You mean that child is connected to that Witch?"
Everyone was startled, and Yachiyo nodded.
"That would not be strange, would it? Even now, we know nothing about what she really is. And wasn't the Witch that appeared today equally strange? Have any of you ever heard of a Witch that could appear anywhere, anytime, as long as the conditions of a rumor were met? There was absolutely no magical presence before it appeared, and