The physically frail Homura Akemi sat in the middle of the back seat, with Madoka and Sayaka on either side of her. However, Sayaka—sitting directly behind the driver—was leaning forward with her hands on the back of Lancer seat.
"Mr. Lancer, as a Magus, shouldn't you be on a magic carpet or riding a magical beast? Why are you driving a car?"
"Miki-san, your impression of us seems stuck in the Middle Ages. Leaving aside the fact that the things you mentioned are nearly extinct, I don't think they'd be any better than this car in terms of maneuverability or comfort."
Lancer wasn't just talking nonsense. In his memory, even those "traditionalist" Magi who insisted on maintaining the special status of mystery didn't actually reject modern inventions entirely.
"Mr. Lancer, though it may be impolite to ask, could you please tell me why you happened to be there?"
Seeing Mami in the passenger seat still maintaining her stiff, formal demeanor, Lancer just waved a hand.
"It's nothing much. Olga told me she noticed Homura-chan—the girl in the back—seemed to be acting a bit off. She isn't great at tracking, so I went to check it out. After all, though we've only been in this town for a few days, there have been plenty of weird occurrences."
"Is Professor Olga a Magus too?"
"That's right. And unlike me, who's self-taught, she's a professional who's been educated since childhood."
Lancer was simply stating a fact, but he underestimated the gossiping nature of girls this age.
Despite just having experienced something incredibly eerie, Sayaka attention had already shifted to other things. For example————
"Professor Olga is from a Magus family? And Dr. Lancer, you're just an ordinary Magus... Does that mean you two 'ran away together'?! How romantic..."
"Cough! Cough!!"
Madoka words caused Lancer to swallow a mouthful of saliva into his windpipe. His violent coughing even caused the car to swerve twice.
"Don't you dare say that in front of Olga. She'll be furious."
Lancer greatest strength was probably his self-awareness. While turning her into a ghost and bringing her along was the only way to save her at the time, there was no denying that he had essentially dragged her away from her own world. It would be weirder if she didn't have any resentment, not to mention her misunderstandings regarding him because of Fiore.
Seeing Lancer expression look even more serious now than when he was being held at gunpoint, Mami shook her head. She suddenly felt like she couldn't maintain her "serious face" much longer.
Just then, the car pulled up in front of the hospital.
"Let's head to my office."
The group got out of the car in an orderly fashion, but Mami frowned as she looked at the hospital.
"Dr. Lancer... have you dealt with a 'Familiar' here before?"
"If you mean that strange-looking little thing, then yes."
Actually, that Familiar had some decent luck. Lancer had spotted it right when he was applying for his job at the hospital. The thing had bolted the moment it noticed him, and Lancer hadn't seen it since.
Lancer casual remark left Mami deep in thought.
In reality, her situation was exactly as Lancer had guessed: she desperately wanted "companions," and that wasn't limited to just "Magical Girls."
'Maybe I can turn this older guy into a companion?'
The thought had already taken root in Mami mind.
Undoubtedly, a man followed by several young girls was a sight that drew attention. However, the significant age gap combined with their calm, natural behavior actually caused the hospital staff and patients to stop staring.
Those who knew Lancer department looked at Madoka and the others with some confusion.
'Are these girls here for a check-up with Dr. Lancer? Aside from the blue-haired one, the others don't look like they're in sports clubs.'
When Lancer pushed open his office door, everyone peered inside curiously. The "Doctor + Magus" persona had them wondering if the room would be filled with jars of formaldehyde or something, but sadly, it was just a plain, simple room.
"Tea or juice?"
Lancer looked at Sayaka again.
"I have milk, too."
Strangely, Sayaka didn't react; instead, her eyes kept darting toward the hallway outside...
The so-called "chat" was just a basic exchange of information. Lancer briefly explained that he and Olga Marie were Magi currently on a "journey," and they had settled in this town temporarily after noticing its abnormalities.
Kyubey, for its part, "voluntarily" explained the battle between Magical Girls and Witches and enthusiastically invited Lancer to help.
Lancer said he'd need to think about it. On the surface, the first meeting went very well; both Lancer and Kyubey seemed to be in a good mood afterward. But in reality? Neither of them believed a single word the other said.
Lancer knew very well that this harmless-looking mascot was the "Root of All Evil." What it said was technically true—the threat of Witches and the battles were real—but it intentionally hid the relationship between Magical Girls and Witches. For example, it didn't mention that "Witches" were actually "Magical Girls" whose Soul Gems had been completely corrupted, or that the "Soul Gems" literally contained their souls. From a philosophical standpoint, it was debatable if they were even "alive." It was "honest," sure—it just left out the most important parts.
As for Kyubey, who had engineered "Magical Girls" to "Save the Universe," it couldn't have failed to investigate Earth. Yet, it had zero clues about "Magi." It didn't know if they simply didn't exist or if they were so well-hidden that even its kind couldn't find them. But now that it knew of Lancer existence, it had already begun collecting data on the subject.
As the talk ended and a preliminary cooperative intent was reached, the tense atmosphere eased slightly. A curious Madoka began asking Lancer and Kyubey about the differences between "Magical Girls" and "Magi." Here, something even weirder happened.
Both Kyubey and Lancer answered Madoka questions with great focus and sincerity. Mami, knowing from Kyubey that Madoka possessed incredible "potential," was stunned. Not just as a Magical Girl, but... could she be a Magus too?
If Lancer knew what Mami was thinking, he'd probably hug her out of pure joy. After all, she was one of the few people who hadn't misinterpreted his intentions.