Lancer wouldn't claim his heart was made of steel or immune to all corruption, but having experienced so much, he wasn't someone easily manipulated by negative emotions. A massive direct impact of negativity might stand a chance, but the leakage from a Grief Seed was nowhere near that level.
The reason he put on such a performance was to deceive Kyubey. That creature might have mediocre combat strength, but it was incredibly hard to kill and remained perpetually "expressionless," making it impossible to know what it was thinking. One could never be too wary of it.
Letting the enemy underestimate you is one of the most common tactical maneuvers. The only real issue was maintaining the morale of one's own side, but since his actual allies consisted only of two humans and three cats, he didn't have to worry too much about appearances.
However, perhaps because Lancer "acting" was too convincing, Mami Tomoe remained silent throughout the trip, her head lowered as she brooded over her thoughts.
Mitakihara Middle School · Lunch Break
In a corner of the school cafeteria, all those involved in yesterday's incident had gathered. Four girls sat in a circle. Since Mami Tomoe had focused most of her attention on Lancer the previous night, she hadn't explained the details of Magical Girls to the other three. This lunch break was her chance to provide a proper introduction.
After all, according to Kyubey, all three girls present possessed excellent "talent."
The thought of her three juniors becoming her colleagues and fighting alongside her made her feel genuinely happy.
"The job of a Magical Girl is simple: we fight Familiars and Witches to protect ordinary people."
"Does that mean Magical Girls are heroes of justice?"
Perhaps because Lancer words from earlier had made an impact, Miki Sayaka seemed to have regained her usual energy. At least she wasn't obsessing over Kamijo Kyousuke for the moment. Her comment brought a knowing smile to Mami face.
"Something like that. At least, that's how I personally see it."
"Then, what exactly are Familiars and Witches?"
While Akemi Homura looked like a plain girl with her thick round glasses and braided pigtails, her habit of clutching a book revealed her nature. Having been sickly since childhood, she spent most of her time with books, making her more logical than the others. She immediately sniffed out the most critical question.
"Familiars can turn into Witches, and Witches are thousands of times more dangerous than Familiars. So, one part of a Magical Girl's job is to eliminate Familiars before they can evolve."
Mami concise introduction gave the three girls a general outline. To them, it sounded remarkably like the superhero stories they knew.
Seeing their expressions, Kyubey took the cue and hopped down from Mami shoulder.
"Actually, besides that, you can make one wish when you become a Magical Girl~"
"A wish?"
"That's right~ A wish~"
Kaname Madoka wondered if it was just her imagination, but Kyubey seemed a bit... strange at this moment?
She quickly suppressed the thought, however, because someone beside her was reacting quite dramatically.
"Wait, really?! We get a wish?"
"Of course~ Since you have to fight Witches and Familiars after becoming a Magical Girl, there has to be a reward~"
At this moment, the smiling Kyubey looked like a recruiter trying to lure in fresh programmers. He sounded like he was saying, "We have a 9-to-5 schedule here, overtime is paid, and we have annual leave," but in reality, the moment a contract is signed, it turns into "007" (midnight to midnight, 7 days a week) as they fall into the abyss.
Despite looking like a cute mascot, its eyes seemed to pierce right through a person's thoughts.
"There are many kinds of wishes. For example, you could make everyone like you, or cure any illness. Or even—if you just want a cake, that's fine too~"
'Make everyone like me?'
Miki Sayaka expression looked conflicted. She couldn't help but remember what happened the previous night. Even though nothing "inappropriate" had occurred, seeing those two together made her feel an uncontrollable sense of inferiority...
'Cure any illness?'
On the other side, Akemi Homura was also swayed. Her situation was special; she had been weak since childhood. While she didn't have a major disease, she had dealt with leaves of absence and transferring schools, which left her constantly alone.
'If my health were fixed, could I be like a normal person and make friends of my own?'
Unlike Sayaka and Homura, who were already forming ideas, Kaname Madoka didn't have any such obsessions. She had no desire that required a "wish" to fulfill. While she felt a certain longing toward being a Magical Girl, that was the extent of it.
But just as the three were lost in thought—
Clap! Clap!
The crisp sound of clapping drew their attention back to Mami.
"Actually, there's no need to rush. Kyubey will always be here. Think about it carefully. I want you to make a wish that you won't regret later."
Mami smile was as radiant as ever, but Madoka, whose mind wasn't on the "wish," keenly sensed something off about her, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
"Okay~" (X3)
Lunch break ended, and the four went their separate ways. Madoka and the others left together, while Mami returned alone to her third-year classroom upstairs.
On the way, Kyubey suddenly hopped onto her shoulder.
"Mami, why didn't you tell them about that man?"
"Because there was no need, right?"
Since their conversation happened telepathically and ordinary people couldn't see Kyubey, Mami looked perfectly normal to outsiders. However, her expression turned serious when Kyubey mentioned Lancer.
"That man is clearly a proud individual. He likely wouldn't want to drag innocents into his affairs. Right now, Madoka and the others are just normal humans, so they aren't in any great danger. If the day comes when they decide to become Magical Girls, I will warn them then."
Even though Lancer hadn't attacked Mami, the aura he radiated still made her feel an instinctive fear.
"Kyubey, after school, let's go see if we can find a new Witch."
"Yes. We can't let that man take the Grief Seeds. This is to protect ordinary people, and to protect him as well."
Typical Kyubey—every word it said was technically true, yet by exploiting the gaps in everyone's knowledge, it conveyed a completely different meaning...