It looked like a candy kingdom from a child's dream, but the eerie atmosphere made Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka shiver. Sayaka immediately stepped in front of her friend, shielding her.
"Don't worry, Madoka. Mami-san already knows about the situation here at the hospital. We just have to wait for her to arrive and..."
Click-clack... Click-clack...
The strange tapping of soles hitting the floor made Sayaka shut her mouth instinctively. She started to wonder if she had cursed them by speaking; the moment she finished her sentence, this strange change occurred. And even more unsettling was—
Munch... crunch...
Behind the footsteps came the sound of strange chewing.
"Sayaka... do you think the Witch is... eating someone?"
"I'll protect you, Madoka!"
Though her answer was firm, her trembling right hand clutching her school bag wasn't very convincing.
At that moment, a swarm of bizarre bee-like creatures suddenly swerved around the corner. Overwhelmed by tension, Miki Sayaka swung her bag with all her might. She didn't know how much good it would do, but she had no other choice.
But then—
Squelsch!
The sound of flesh being skewered rang out. Sayaka, who had closed her eyes in terror, opened them to see several Familiars impaled on two long blades.
Almost simultaneously, a "figure" over two meters tall stepped out from the corner.
"Doesn't taste good..."
A muffled, heavy voice came from the massive figure. This sound made Sayaka and Madoka blood run cold, as they realized this was the source of the chewing sounds they had heard earlier.
'Are we going to be eaten by this thing? No!!'
Just then, the figure seemed to notice them and slowly turned around.
"Found—you."
"AAAAAHHH!!"
Tragic screams echoed through the corridor...
When Lancer knocked on the door to Olga Marie office, he froze for a second.
"What is it?"
Olga Marie clearly noticed the subtle shift in Lancer expression.
"Zero is awake."
"Doesn't that mean the 'future' you saw is now a certainty?"
In Olga Marie view, if the future was set, things should be easier. But Lancer shook his head.
Having traveled through several worlds and returned to some, he had discovered that the worlds he changed did not revert to their original tracks due to some "Correction Force." He didn't know if this was because such a force didn't exist, or because of his own unique nature. Based on the System's hints, he leaned toward the latter.
Logically, the hospital where he spent much of his time was his "domain." How could Familiars or a Witch be allowed to get so close?
Since this wasn't a place where a Witch should have appeared, yet it was now encased in a Barrier, there was only one answer unless it was a massive coincidence: Someone had intentionally lured the Witch to the hospital—or the Witch was created by them!
To a normal person, this would seem impossible, but Lancer knew better. There are no accidents in this world; everything has a cause. If he felt his luck was bad, it was only because he wasn't strong enough. If he were powerful enough, luck wouldn't be able to touch him!
His future was Luck A !
However, this was all Lancer deduction, so he hadn't told anyone yet. Secretly, he had made several preparations. One was leaving Zero at the hospital. If a Barrier opened there, Zero could use her "transformation" abilities to invade it.
As for the second move—
"Olga, try not to get thrown off."
After parking the car in a random spot, Lancer pulled a heavy motorcycle—over two meters long—from his "Weapon Box." The tires were significantly larger than normal just to support the bike's massive weight.
Thwack.
While Olga Marie stared blankly at the bike, Lancer tossed something at her. She caught it by reflex.
"A helmet?"
"Just in case."
Lancer didn't wear one himself as he mounted the driver's seat, but he gave a brief explanation in response to her questioning look.
Although Olga Marie wanted to argue that she was a ghost and didn't need such things, she dutifully put the helmet on. Once Lancer actually sat on the bike, she realized this wasn't the time to nitpick.
Click.
After securing the helmet, she climbed on behind Lancer.
Though a lady shouldn't really straddle a motorcycle in a skirt, the situation was dire enough that she had to accept it.
The moment Olga Marie was settled, Lancer leaned forward and twisted the throttle—
VROOOOM—
The piercing roar of the engine echoed out of the alley, audible even to people on the main street. Then—
BOOM!!
With an exaggerated roar, a black shadow shot out of the alley. Passersby didn't even see what happened; they only saw a dark blur vanish, followed by a gust of wind. Many didn't even have time to react.
Within minutes, the Mitakihara Police Station's phone lines were overwhelmed. Countless people, either startled by the roar or curious, called in to report the incident. The police took it seriously and checked nearby surveillance footage, but they found nothing useful. All they could see was that there were two people on the bike.
The person in the back was clinging tightly to the waist of the one in front. But the person in front... appeared to have no head?!
What on earth?!
The police reviewed the footage for hours and were forced to conclude one thing: from no angle did any camera capture the driver's head...
The case was eventually filed as a "Paranormal Event," but a group of unlucky bikers was eventually arrested as "scapegoats."
Unfortunately, the police's "luck" wasn't great either. Two days after the arrest, the same thing happened again. Eventually, it became a full-blown "Urban Legend"—The Headless Rider on the Heavy Bike.