From the moment Lancer realized he wasn't in the "Original Timeline," he had been wondering about one thing.
Where were the "Law of Cycles" and "Devil Homura"?
Their existence transcended common definitions, having ascended to a "God" and its opposing "Devil." Furthermore, Lancer had performed a time-leap upon arriving in this world, and the operator had to be one of the two; they couldn't possibly not be watching him.
It wasn't until the "Law of Cycles" appeared personally that Lancer confirmed his theory—
"Madoka and Homura are actually you two, aren't they?"
Facing Lancer certain tone, the girl smiled and shook her head, causing Lancer to frown in confusion.
"No?"
"Not entirely. Homura and I are indeed related to them, but... they are themselves, and we are leaving."
Only then did Lancer notice that the girl who had once saved him now looked no different from an ordinary human. Noticing the change in his gaze, she explained with a smile.
"My power came from the causality entangled by Homura's thousand time-leaps. You have severed those threads, so my power no longer exists... and not only that. Because of you, all 'lines' have converged into a single path. Even if they diverge again, the existence known as the 'Incubator' has been completely eradicated. Since the 'Future' has been changed, we in the future naturally cease to exist. Our ability to appear before you now is merely a use of residual power..."
Clearly, she didn't care at all about her impending disappearance; she was genuinely happy. This was why she had been smiling since she appeared. She never wanted to be a so-called "God"; she only became one because only a God could save all magical girls. Now that Lancer had carved out a new, better path for her, she accepted it gladly.
Her words made Lancer realize there was another person here.
Only then did he notice a black-haired girl with red hair ribbons standing in the shadows.
She didn't engage in conversation like Madoka, but she nodded to Lancer upon noticing his gaze, serving as a greeting.
To be honest, Lancer found it hard to see this somewhat cold girl and the "monster" radiating destruction he had met before as the same person, but he returned the nod nonetheless.
Seeing Lancer acknowledge her, the "Law of Cycles" continued her explanation with a smile.
"We are about to vanish, but we hope we can do one last thing for these 'predecessors.' Mr. Lancer, may we trouble you?"
Looking at her deeply expectant eyes, Lancer shook his head with a wry smile.
"With an expression like that, how can I refuse? But I have to leave in less than half a year, so I don't know..."
"It's okay. I know about that."
!!
The statement left Lancer stunned. He had never told anyone the specific duration of his stay. Only he knew—and the System!
How did she know?
Before he could figure it out, the girl opened her arms toward the shadows. The black-haired girl ran out and lunged into her embrace.
As they held each other, their figures began to blur and fade.
"Mr. Lancer, this is our final power. We hope you use it well..."
As she spoke, the black-haired girl in her arms looked at Lancer and spoke her only words.
"Thank you."
A simple phrase, yet it carried the weight of all her feelings.
Before Lancer could even respond, the two vanished completely, leaving Lancer standing there bewildered, feeling like he'd just been force-fed a mouthful of "oranges" (wholesome fluff).
Finally, he walked silently to the spot where they disappeared and picked up a gem composed of pink and black.
Hope and Love
Rank: S
Category: Item
Description: Magical girls represent hope and love.
Ability: Can purify negative emotions.
Undoubtedly, the pink represented the "Law of Cycles"—Hope. What surprised Lancer was that the black didn't represent the opposing "Despair," but rather "Love."
"That is some heavy love..."
As the two disappeared, the blue light of the gem on Lancer earring dimmed, as if bidding farewell to its creator.
After stowing the gem, Lancer returned to work. It was an important item, but for now, he still needed these negative emotions to provide him with magic.
However, looking at the gem in his hand, an idea began to take shape.
Lancer had expected to spend the hours before dawn acting like a machine, constantly converting and clearing the polluted Grief Seeds. But after completing an untold number of purifications, the System's notification chime rang in his mind.
After several hours of mechanical labor in the dead of night, Lancer was practically numb, maintaining only basic alertness. The sudden sound gave him a start, but it also piqued his curiosity. When he opened the System, his face turned extremely subtle.
Title Acquired: True Lolicon
Requirement: Reach a Favorability of 60 with 1,000 lolis. Progress: $1000/1000$
Effect: Favorability with loli-type entities +15.
Description: The mission of a true lolicon is to protect lolis.
In Lancer memory, while he didn't know how the System evaluated "Favorability," he recalled that 60 points was the threshold for "good friends."
He wasn't surprised to get the title; he had just purified 1,000 Grief Seeds. Naturally, those girls expressed their gratitude upon waking. That had to be it.
However—
It felt a bit subtle. While the System's explanation was perfectly serious, most people's understanding of the term "lolicon" was very different from the System's. The urge to complain was overwhelming.
"I'm an Onee-san lover! How did I end up as a lolicon? This System is slandering my good name..."