Being able to "achieve the level of despair" isn't mandatory to Witching out, it is important to remember that while a poor mental state will expedite the process, it can also happen naturally if you burn yourself out, simply running out of magic completely will cause it
Of course, although energy depletion wasn't addressed in Hanna's case. As for mental state, it seems to really depend on emotion, and not all emotions are identical. One can be miserable, but not necessarily despairing (cough Homura cough).
For comparison, Kagari in PMSM had to literally brainwash herself into becoming a witch, and was clearly not in the best of mental states.
That's just my take, mind you.
last edited at Aug 26, 2020 6:35PM