The next day at noon, after finishing his treatments, Lancer was practicing his spear stance in his office when his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Olga Marie, and what she had to say wasn't exactly unexpected.
"Sayaka Miki came to see me."
Lancer eyes lit up. It seemed his efforts over the past few days were starting to pay off.
The primary reason he went to the school to pick up Olga Marie—aside from the fact that she disliked taking the bus—was to make sure people at the school knew they were connected. Just like now: Sayaka Miki wasn't familiar with Lancer, but her desire to ask about Kyosuke condition would inevitably lead her to use Olga Marie as a middleman.
"Also, that 'transfer student' you were interested in has appeared. But————"
"But?"
"But she seems a bit different from how you described her."
How had Lancer described Homura Akemi?
A special magical girl with "time" powers; a cold, aloof girl who traveled through time multiple times to protect "Madoka." While Lancer evaluation might have some discrepancies since he didn't know the full plot, the core should have been accurate.
"Aside from the name, nothing is like what you said... Forget it, I'll just send you a photo."
With that, Olga Marie hung up. Seconds later, a photo arrived.
It had to be said that Lancer going to the hospital and Olga Marie going to the school was definitely the right choice. Take taking photos, for instance: if Lancer were to randomly snap pictures of girls at a school, someone might call the police. But when Olga Marie did it, the subjects weren't wary at all—they even looked a bit shy.
However, when the photo loaded, Lancer expression instantly became priceless.
The facial structure was indeed the "Homura Akemi" he was looking for, but the braided pigtails and the round glasses were incredibly nuanced. Plus, having noticed Olga Marie taking the photo, her expression was extremely bashful. Far from being a "cool goddess," she looked like a total dork!
While Lancer was still reeling, his phone rang again.
"That girl is the 'Homura Akemi' you were looking for. But are you sure you want to collaborate with her? I don't sense a trace of magical energy from her. She seems like just an ordinary girl."
Lancer had actually ranked the magical girls in terms of recruitability, and Homura Akemi was undoubtedly the easiest because their interests aligned. But according to Olga Marie————
"It looks like I was being too optimistic..."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple. I should have realized it earlier. Since the 'Law of Cycles' wished to erase everything from the very beginning, the timeline we are in should be the 'Starting Point.' At this point in time, Homura Akemi is just an ordinary girl. Her becoming a magical girl is something that happens later... Sigh, things just got complicated."
Lancer original plan was to save Mami Tomoe, try his best to prevent Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname from becoming magical girls, and then rely on their collective efforts to overcome "Walpurgisnacht." The most crucial piece—the biggest asset—was supposed to be Homura Akemi, the magical girl with "time" powers.
The reason for this decision was that he knew how tragic the existence of a "Magical Girl" truly was. He couldn't bring himself to drag a group of innocent girls into such an abyss just for his own goals. This had nothing to do with strength; it was purely his personal philosophy.
He swung his spear to survive; so, if he could survive, he didn't mind using that spear to help more people survive too.
He could make certain sacrifices without hesitation, but he couldn't sacrifice others to fulfill himself.
However, after the headache subsided, Lancer stopped overthinking. He was powerless to change established facts. He knew that with Homura Akemi appearance, the gears of this world would begin to turn. Witches would appear more frequently, and the battles would grow more intense.
"What a massive headache..."
Although Lancer had known things wouldn't be easy from the moment he met the "Law of Cycles," he hadn't expected to start on "Nightmare Difficulty."
When school ended in the afternoon, Lancer drove to pick up Olga Marie. As expected, this would be their first real contact with the "Protagonist Group."
When he reached the office where Olga Marie was, he immediately saw a restless blue head next to her.
In truth, Sayaka Miki didn't like faculty offices. She wasn't a top student like Hitomi, nor was she a beloved health committee member like Madoka. Generally, being called to the office meant being "lectured." However, more than her internal restlessness, she wanted to know about Kyosuke condition. So, when she saw the figure push open the office door, her face lit up with excitement.
"Olga, I'm here to pick you up."
"Miki-san, the person you were waiting for is here. Let's go."
Seeing Sayaka Miki following closely behind Olga Marie, Lancer glanced at Olga. She gave him a subtle thumbs-up, indicating everything had gone smoothly. Lancer nodded.
"Miki-san, didn't you have something you wanted to ask Lancer? Go ahead."
Though she seemed a bit tomboyish, she was still just a kid. Facing an adult—especially a stranger who gave off such a powerful aura—Sayaka felt quite awkward, but she eventually nodded.
"Um... Mr. Lancer, I wanted to ask about Kyosuke Kamijo. I heard he had surgery..."
Seeing her hesitant manner, Lancer couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking "it's nice to be young," before giving a small smile.
"It seems you're very concerned about Kamijo's condition. If you ask me, I wouldn't say he's 'perfect' yet, but at the very least, he's starting to recover gradually. I can't give you a direct answer on the final result, but if you're asking for my outlook on the matter, I'm optimistic."
Lancer words made Sayaka incredibly happy. However, when she noticed Lancer teasing expression in the rearview mirror, she turned away with a bright red face.
"But if you want to visit him, my personal suggestion is to wait a couple of days."
"Why? Is there some kind of problem?"
"No, it's just that his family has been around a lot the last few days. There's almost someone in the room 24/7. If you don't mind the hassle, you could go now, though."
"No! No! I'll wait a couple of days! Madoka... and Hitomi were planning on going together anyway!"
It was obvious Sayaka was using her two friends as a shield, but Lancer just smiled and didn't say anything more. Because of that, the blush on Sayaka face only deepened until she ducked her head, not daring to look up.
"Where are you heading? Want a lift?"
"No need! No need! I'll just take the bus back myself..."
"An adult—especially an adult with a car—letting a kid from his own vehicle walk home alone is a good way to get looked down on. Alright, out with it. I'll drop you off."
Seeing Lancer friendly expression and noticing that Professor Olga Marie didn't object, Sayaka finally gave him her home address...