Because of her "job" as a Magical Girl, Mami Tomoe had joined neither the student council nor any clubs. She was a textbook member of the "Going Home Club," but today, she uncharacteristically lingered at school, waiting for a certain man to appear.
Unsurprisingly, Lancer drove into the school grounds after classes ended. However, unlike before, two people got into the car this time. Just as Mami was about to step forward and greet them, she froze. An incredible scene unfolded before her eyes.
She saw Kyoko Sakura take off her "ring" and hand it to Lancer.
If it were just an ordinary ring, Mami wouldn't have stood there stunned. Her dramatic reaction was because that wasn't a normal piece of jewelry—it was the girl's Soul Gem.
A newly born Soul Gem is egg-shaped, but under a Magical Girl's control, it can take other forms. Mami was the ribbon on her neck, which became her hair ornament after transformation. Kyoko Soul Gem usually took the form of her "ring."
According to Kyubey, the Soul Gem was an item of paramount importance. Why would Kyoko hand it to Lancer?
Filled with deep doubt, Mami stopped her approach and decided to shadow them quietly instead.
The car drove ahead with Mami tailing closely behind. The direction the car was heading made her even more uneasy; they weren't going toward the hospital, but toward the house where Lancer and his companions lived.
She didn't have a good impression of that place. Even though Lancer had saved her life once—and she was truly grateful for it—it didn't change the fact that the things he had said back then had genuinely terrified her. Furthermore, Olga Marie had once told her that this seemingly ordinary house was rigged with numerous "traps"...
As she stood at a distance, agonizing over whether to sneak in, the front gate of the villa opened on its own.
What happened?
After waiting several minutes with no further change, she suddenly realized: perhaps the door was opened for her?
Though it could have been her imagination, the thought that Kyoko might be in danger made her decisively leap down from her perch in the tree.
Reinforced by magic, Mami possessed extraordinary physical capabilities. She covered the dozen or so meters from the entrance to the front door with just a few light taps of her toes. Unsurprisingly, the front door was also unlocked.
However, as she cautiously entered the villa, she saw neither Lancer nor Olga Marie. The only one visible was a green-haired little girl leaning back in a chair, her head nodding as she dozed.
Mami did not relax; instead, she became more vigilant. Sayaka and the others had told her about this "green-haired girl." Although the girl hadn't fought Witches, the number of Familiars she had killed was staggering. Even Mami usually opted to avoid large numbers of Familiars, since using magic would darken a Magical Girl's Soul Gem.
With a wary expression, she watched the green-haired girl's head nod... and nod... and nod...
The sound of long, steady breaths accompanied by occasional lip-smacking gave Mami a rather ridiculous thought.
Is this child actually asleep?
Mami, who had been dead serious, found she couldn't maintain her tension. After using her "ribbons" to create a small cloak to cover the girl, she stepped past her and headed toward the stairs. No matter how she looked at it, that was the most suspicious direction.
Don't the bosses in games usually stay in the basement or on the top floor?
It wasn't until Mami figure had completely vanished up the stairs that "Zero," who had been leaning against the chair, opened her eyes. She glanced at the cloak covering her, blinked for a moment, and then trotted on her short legs toward a room next to the main hall.
It looked like a normal room from the outside, but when she hopped up to pull open the door, a series of strange sounds echoed from within.
"Your thrust is weak! Your swings are sloppy! Your footwork is loose! Your reactions are sluggish! Not a single movement is up to par! You think you can defeat me like this? You're dreaming!"
Accompanied by Lancer scolding, Kyoko Sakura—dressed in a tracksuit and drenched in sweat—was fiercely wielding a metal spear.
This steel spear was one of Lancer old practice tools. Though it wasn't a "magic" spear, it weighed dozens of kilograms. Normally, it wouldn't be much of a problem for Kyoko to use, but after several hundred thrusting drills, she felt as if her arms no longer belonged to her. After all, she wasn't using magic; she was relying purely on physical strength.
Under normal circumstances, she might have given up long ago. But looking at Lancer standing beside her, she grit her teeth and endured. Lancer was doing the exact same thing she was; the only difference was that the metal spear in Lancer hand was something she couldn't even lift without magic.
Lancer wasn't using magic either, relying solely on his physical power to swing the spear. The floor beneath him was pooled with sweat, and his streamlined muscles bulged with every exertive movement.
If Kyoko had been annoyed earlier by Lancer "bullying the weak" this morning, seeing his even more intense training made her realize she couldn't even stay angry. He was putting in far more effort than she was.
At that moment, Lancer noticed Zero entering the room. However, she didn't pay them any mind. She simply walked to a workbench, pulled out a sheet of paper and a marker, and then left, closing the door behind her.
Lancer was curious about her actions but didn't ask. If something were wrong, she would tell him.
Back in the living room, Zero spread the paper out and uncapped the marker. Halfway through, she paused.
It wasn't that she forgot what to write or that her handwriting was bad. It was because it was "too good."
She had been a best-selling author with several book-signing events under her belt; her signature was practically an instinct, and her handwriting was incredibly elegant. The problem was, it didn't seem appropriate for the situation.
"Aum~ aum~"
After a small portion of the paper vanished accompanied by strange sounds, she wrote the word "Thanks" in wobbly, crooked characters.
"That man told me to welcome that little girl. Since she's inside, my job is done. Time for a break..."
Placing the paper on the folded cloak, she muttered to herself as she pulled out a black box from the side.
Click—
She opened it, propped herself up with her hand, and crawled inside with her short legs.
Click—
This time it was the sound of the lock. Clearly, Zero planned to get some rest. Unsurprisingly, things were about to get quite noisy.