If her previous defeat had been a lingering obsession for Kyoko Sakura, this time was far better. She found that after being disarmed by the man, she didn't feel surprised at all—it was as if things were exactly as they were meant to be.
"You win."
Her tensed muscles gradually relaxed. The clothes representing her status as a Magical Girl completely dissolved back into mana, replaced by her signature pale-green hoodie and denim hot pants.
As if she had completely let go, she reached into her shirt, pulled out her red Soul Gem, and tossed it toward Lancer. She threw it like a mere toy, whereas Lancer caught it with both hands, looking quite nervous.
"I'm getting tired of these days anyway. Since you want it, just take it."
Why had she become a Magical Girl in the first place?
It was simple: to help her father.
But because of her, her family had died a violent death, and her heart had shattered then and there. What allowed her to endure back then was Mami Tomoe's presence, yet Mami kindness only caused her more pain. In her eyes, she had no right to happiness. Thus, she had eventually left Mami side.
That choice wasn't so much an act of self-redemption as it was a way to use pain to ensure she never forgot what happened.
From that moment on, she had been like the walking dead, living merely for the sake of living.
She didn't want to die at the hands of a Witch. Perhaps this man was a decent alternative...
Smack!!
The crisp sound echoed sharply within the empty church. Kyoko Sakura, with tears in her eyes, clutched her head and glared viciously at Lancer.
"What the hell are you doing! Kill me or cut me, do what you want, but don't humiliate me!!"
But just as she finished shouting, she realized the man was lowering his head and slowly approaching her. The massive pressure generated by his height, physique, and aura made her heart race.
I'm gonna get hit!
She closed her eyes by reflex, only to find that while his hand landed on her head, there was no pain. In fact, she felt something hard against her face?
Opening her eyes, she realized her face was pressed against his abdomen. The man then spoke in a gentle voice she had never heard before.
"You're still just a kid. Don't go around wearing an expression like you've seen through life and death. Kids are supposed to smile more~"
Lancer smile wasn't exactly radiant, but it was incredibly gentle—the kind of gentleness that felt like it shouldn't belong to a man like him.
The strong masculine scent and the sense of acceptance made Kyoko incredulous face gradually crumple. Her eyelids trembled, and she could no longer control her tear ducts—
"Daddy!!"
Hooking her arms around Lancer waist, Kyoko Sakura couldn't help but wail out loud. Lancer, meanwhile, went completely stiff.
Daddy?!
What the hell?! Is there a bug in the system? Isn't his age fixed in his early 20s? No, even counting his actual age, he wasn't even 30 yet!
What made it even more awkward for Lancer was that Kyoko was clutching his waist and burying her face in his stomach... or rather, rubbing her face against his abs. It felt very "subtle."
He was already bad at dealing with women—his usual approach was to treat them like men while being slightly mindful of physical contact. Dealing with children was even more troublesome because their different thought patterns meant they often did things adults never expected. This was true for Lancer as well.
Thus, the "female + child" combo was essentially nightmare mode for him. He held his "Gáe Bolg Alternative" in his left hand and Kyoko chain spear in his right, standing there with his head tilted back and arms spread wide... looking like a total lunatic.
Fortunately, no one else was around, which saved Lancer some embarrassment.
It wasn't until he felt the trembling of her body gradually subside that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like he was almost losing his grip on the situation.
Kyoko, her eyes red, looked at the muscular contours revealed by the moisture on his shirt, and her entire face turned beet red.
Because of Lancer, she had been reminded of her father, who had been incredibly gentle before his breakdown. But now that her crying fit was over and her emotions had settled, she knew this was just her own delusion. The man in front of her wasn't her father; he was actually quite different.
The thought of crying in the arms of a man she barely knew for several minutes made her face feel like it was on fire.
Right then, she noticed Lancer didn't say anything but simply walked toward the car in the distance. His attitude—acting as if nothing had happened—made her feelings extremely complicated.
She felt both relieved and a bit let down. But then, the car window slowly rolled down.
"Aren't you coming?"
After a two-second daze, Kyoko jogged over and pulled open the passenger door.
On the way back, Lancer deliberately slowed down, but the car was deathly quiet.
Kyoko didn't know what to say, and Lancer was agonizing over where to start.
"Kyoko Sakura. I'll just call you Sakura."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
In Kyoko memory, she hadn't really talked to him much. Did that Kyubey guy tell him her name? Before she could think further, Lancer threw out another question.
"Sakura, what do you think of Kyubey?"
What did she think of Kyubey?
Did she even need to think about that?
"A bastard!"
As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and he's grateful; give him a bucket and he resents the weight." Logically, Kyubey had helped Kyoko fulfill her wish, and without knowing Kyubey true colors, she didn't have a direct reason to hate him. But would a Kyoko Sakura, who was constantly surrounded by hatred, consider such logic?
Obviously not.
Lancer nodded.
"Do you know the relationship between you and your 'Soul Gem'?"
"Of course I do. Did Kyubey tell you that too?"
Kyoko knew about it; Lancer hadn't realized that, since he didn't know the exact plot details. However, it didn't affect his "explanation."
"I know some things. Also, after hunting 'Witches' recently, I started researching 'Grief Seeds.' I found something strange."
"What is it?"
"There are souls hidden inside Grief Seeds."
A very simple sentence, yet it made Kyoko freeze. The sentence itself wasn't special, but when linked to the previous topic, it was laden with implication.