The silver-haired girl looked just like a doll, but currently, her brow was furrowed as she curled her body. However, upon Lancer arrival, her expression gradually smoothed over. Without a doubt, she had been having a "nightmare" earlier, the source of which was naturally the negative emotions that had permeated her surroundings. Now, as Lancer thoroughly dispersed the last of those emotions, she finally woke from the dream.
The girl slowly opened her eyes, looking around blankly like a fledgling just born from an eggshell. Her state slowly recovered until she saw Lancer, who had appeared before her at some unknown point. Her face lit up with a look of surprise and joy, but before she could speak, Lancer felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. His consciousness had been deeply fatigued before entering, and now, having confirmed her recovery, he simply had no strength left to stay.
When Lancer opened his eyes, he was no longer in that weightless soul state but back in his familiar body, with three girls surrounding him closely.
"Dr. Lancer/Lancer, how is it?"
"It's done. I saw a girl with long white hair inside the 'Grief Seed.' But I'm too tired, so I came back first. I'll go back in and check once I've rested a bit..."
"Help me call in sick..."
As he spoke, Lancer eyes slowly fluttered shut. He only had enough time to utter that one instruction before he slumped directly onto Olga Marie chest and fell fast asleep.
Olga Marie, still holding her notebook and pen, never expected Lancer to collapse right onto her—especially since the weight of his head hitting her chest nearly knocked her over.
The strange sensation of the weight against her chest made her hurriedly prop him up. Fortunately, the other two in the room were preoccupied with the "Grief Seed"—or rather, the "Soul Gem"—in Lancer hand and didn't notice her predicament.
"How is this guy so heavy..."
While whispering a small complaint, she blushed and used both hands to cradle Lancer head, supporting him. Only then did she have a chance to look closely at his face.
In her memory, although Lancer didn't say much, his expression was always one of total confidence, as if there were no problem he couldn't solve. But now, the undisguised fatigue on his face made him look quite haggard.
"Just like an idiot..."
Crouching to the side, Olga Marie murmured to herself while stroking Lancer cheek with one hand.
She called him an idiot not just because of the current situation. Whether it was keeping a "burden" like her by his side or the task at hand, it seemed to her that he was always "trying to be the hero," especially this time.
According to the original plan, it should have taken about a week to purify this "Soul Gem," but for Mami Tomoe's sake, he had forced himself to stay up all night to finish it.
"Why can't you treasure your own body a little more..."
Just like an idiot, yet she couldn't bring herself to dislike him.
For some reason, an image of her former teacher, Fiore, surfaced in Olga Marie mind—that woman, as proud as a flower on a high peak, sitting quietly in her office alone, looking at a photograph with a gentle smile.
"Teacher Fiore..."
"Professor Olga?"
As Olga Marie was lost in thought, a voice snapped her back to reality. She found two faces leaning in close to her own.
"Is something wrong?"
For some reason, Olga Marie seemed a bit flustered, but she forced herself to calm down. Unfortunately, she had no idea just how red her face was at that moment.
"Can we take the day off school today?"
The two asked almost in unison. Olga Marie froze for a second, then looked at the "Grief Seed" Lancer was still clutching. She shook her head helplessly; she knew that even if she made them go to school, they wouldn't have the heart for classes.
"Fine. But just this once."
Seeing their excited expressions, Olga Marie hurried to add a warning, and they nodded without hesitation.
Though it might seem strange for Kyoko Sakura to take leave right after transferring, Olga Marie, as a teacher, could handle it. The bigger concern was her social standing with the rest of the class, but given her current state, going to school probably wouldn't have helped anyway.
In truth, Lancer request for Kyoko to go to school was also an "experiment."
Having noticed the "Grief Seed" constantly emitted "negative emotions," he wondered if Magical Girls utilized "positive emotions." Thus, he wanted Kyoko to try school; compared to the cruel, realistic world of adults, a child's world—while having its own shadows—was at least far better.
As for Mami Tomoe, it was easy. As a "model student," her homeroom teacher didn't doubt her for a second when she called in sick, even proactively comforting her and telling her to rest well. The teacher's warmth made Mami a bit embarrassed, but after a moment of hesitation, she accepted it with a blush, as she was indeed more concerned with the situation at hand.
On the other side, however, a rather awkward situation arose when Olga Marie tried to call in sick for Lancer.
It wasn't that the hospital wouldn't grant the leave—Lancer workload wasn't heavy, and since he was "high quality and low cost," the hospital leadership didn't want to give him a reason to resign. The problem lay with Olga Marie herself.
The administrator froze for two seconds upon hearing Olga Marie voice on the phone. Then, hearing that Lancer was still resting because he was "too tired," the person hesitated for several seconds before offering a profound word of advice.
'Young people need to be careful with their health. I know a place with great seafood soup and grilled oysters; you two should go try it tonight.'
Olga Marie was confused for a second, not understanding why a hospital official was suddenly advertising a restaurant. But when she heard the final reminder to "be moderate," her face turned bright red. There was no doubt the person had the wrong idea. Before she could explain, the person hung up, leaving her staring at her phone in a daze.
"That jerk, this is all your fault..."
After a quiet, blushing complaint, she left the room to wash up.
Since Lancer was out cold, she couldn't have Tiger come out to make breakfast today. She would have to leave early and just buy something to eat.
Ultimately, a bizarre scene was left in the room.
A weary-looking powerhouse of a man lay sleeping on the sofa, while two girls and a little one sat in a circle around him...