Chapter 86

Episode 85: Beloved Imitation

On the top floor of Ariannrod, in the room where the Dungeon Core’s glow could be observed like stars, Rokuhara was there with Eina.

Rokuhara continued to project his usual air of troublemaker, while Eina seemed somewhat uneasy.

“Hey, glad you could make it.”

Upon seeing the two of them, the Director gestured for them to sit wherever they pleased.

After confirming they had sat down, the Director looked up at the ceiling and began speaking.

“Is the repayment of your debt going smoothly? Though this time, it seems to be quite a daunting amount.”

“No problem. Already paid back half of it.”

“Truly impressive for an S-Rank. You’re excellent.”

The Director spoke as though praising a child, showing no change in demeanor.

Unhappy with his attitude, Rokuhara deliberately snorted.

“Hmph, well said. So, you’re gonna give us a job that’ll help clear the remaining half of the debt, right?”

“Indeed, you catch on quick.”

“How many times do you think we’ve done this?”

This kind of exchange between Rokuhara and the Director was quite common.

Rokuhara always delivered results in missions.

However, he often caused significant chaos along the way.

Each time, he ended up taking on more dangerous missions, delving deeper into the Academy City’s underbelly.

“Well, this time the mission isn’t that difficult… Perhaps even boring for you.”

“What’s next after catching rats?”

“—The professors and doctors have started moving in earnest. Likely because the deterrent force of the Professor is gone.”

“…Huh.”

For the first time since arriving, Rokuhara smiled.

“I want you to keep an eye on them. While we tacitly allow the activities of Silver Twilight, we don’t grant them complete freedom. They must work for the benefit of humanity.”

“Wait, weren’t you all supposed to be buddies or something?”

“In terms of saving the world, yes. We could call each other comrades. However, our interpretations of salvation differ. Thus, they are also our adversaries.”

While reaching out toward the Dungeon Core’s glow, the Director continued.

“If necessary, I want you to kill them.”

“Is me really alright for that?”

“Of course. You, at heart, are a good person. Ryuko wouldn’t be able to handle killing, and Tatarai’s personality has broken down. There are various issues… I debated between you and Yukihira, but…”

The Director glanced at Rokuhara.

“I thought you’d be suitable since you’ve killed instructors in the past.”

“…”

At the mention of “instructor,” Eina flinched violently.

The tremor rising from deep within her body and the dark emotions were remnants of the negative legacy imprinted on her body and mind in the past.

In that moment, as she turned to Rokuhara for help, a hand rested on her head and ruffled her hair roughly.

And just like that, the unpleasant sensation she’d felt moments ago vanished.

“…Leader.”

Without looking at Eina, Rokuhara continued addressing the Director.

“That scum deserved to die. And personally, I haven’t forgiven you bastards for giving him the title of instructor either.”

“On that matter, it was my fault. I caused Eina a lot of pain.”

“No… It’s okay…”

As if recalling something, Eina unconsciously grabbed Rokuhara’s clothes.

Seeing this, Rokuhara silently turned his gaze back to the Director.

“Will you do it?”

“…If it clears the debt, there’s no reason not to.”

“Thank you, Rokuhara. Ah, when I mentioned earlier about the professor and doctor duo, generally, I want you to focus on monitoring the professor.”

“Naturally, that guy seems the most troublesome.”

“There’s that, but…”

The Director hesitated momentarily before continuing.

“Actually, we don’t know who the doctor is right now.”

“Come on, aren’t they already out of sight?”

“Nope, the doctor is incredible. Their unique interpretation of the Reincarnation System is astonishing. Who would have thought they’d repurpose it into a system allowing simultaneous existence?”

Rokuhara internally scoffed at the Director’s admiration.

“After all, given her nature, she’s both universal and nowhere to be found. At most, ten versions of her can exist simultaneously. If you’re going to target anyone, the professor, her superior, would be the better choice.”

“True, having an easy-to-identify boss is convenient for us… By the way, does the location itself where the doctor resides remain unchanged?”

The Director quietly nodded.

“Yes—Jilnias Academy.”

■

I’m the beautiful girl assistant here to resolve the ghost disturbance!

I’ll do my best!

‘That sounds fun!’

Clearly, this is a spin-off story, but once it gets to this point, there’s nothing we can do about it.

It’s best to properly prepare the storyline so Miuyme can jump in anytime.

I’ll always be waiting for you, Miuyme!

So then…

“Welcome to the great genius Kanon’s lab!”

We were in Kanon’s lab.

Since ghost disturbances happen at night, we were told we could hang out here until then.

This is a beautiful girl’s lab, and I’m getting excited!

“I got permission from Miroku-chan to stay over.”

“Thanks for letting us know, Toa-chan.”

Miroku-senpai had been informed that we’d be staying overnight at Jilnias Academy, but judging by Toa’s reaction, it went smoothly.

Good, good.

Still, this lab…

“It’s beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, everything’s tidy…!”

After being in what felt like a near-future junkyard until just now, coming to such a clean place was surprising.

Apparently, not keeping rooms tidy isn’t the default setting for Jilnias Academy.

“Eh, why are you reacting like that? Do you guys think I can’t clean like Luka!?”

“…No, surely not. Right?”

“U-u-um… hahaha…”

“You’re both terrible liars!”

How did they know it was a lie?

Did they see through my poker face?

“They were swimming wildly!”

Oh come on…

“Alright, come sit over here. I’ll make coffee now. Do you want sugar?”

“One please.”

“I’ll take black.”

Would a mysterious beautiful girl drink sugared coffee?

She should stick to black coffee or tea!

“Okay, leave it to me! I’m good at making coffee! The temperature is key!”

Saying that, Kanon disappeared into the back of the lab.

We sat on the white sofa together.

What a beautiful room.

It’s so neatly organized; it’s hard to believe it belongs to Miuyme’s sister.

It feels more like a hospital room after thorough cleaning.

There’s a small garden visible outside the window, and the smell of disinfectant might contribute to that impression.

It was almost like a hospital waiting room.

“Here you go, sorry for the wait!”

After about ten minutes, Kanon returned with two mugs. Steam rose lazily from them, proving they were freshly brewed.

“So, you’re friends with Miuyme, right? Please tell me all about her!”

Kanon placed the mugs on the glass table and gleamed with excitement.

It’s similar to how parents act around their child’s friends.

“We’ve only known her for a day or so, so there’s not much to say.”

“That’s fine! In fact, that’s even better. She made her first friends outside. Isn’t that fascinating? There’s nothing more interesting than this, right?”

It seems we don’t have a choice but to comply.

Not that I intended to refuse from the start.

“Miuyme is a good girl, right? She leans a bit too much towards knowledge-seeking, but that’s part of her charm!”

“S-so, yes.”

Ah, wrong. I’m being dragged into sibling pride.

Before I knew it, Kanon was already enthusiastically talking away.

“At Jilnias Academy, I thought she might be missing out on interacting with friends who aren’t like her. Hey, this is the first time she’s making Dive Gear for someone else, right?”

Isn’t that wonderful? Kanon continued.

She must be delighted that her sister chose to do this herself.

“By the way, whose Dive Gear are you making? Is it Kei-kun’s? Has he already started making moves on her…!? That’s impressive!”

“Ahh, no. It’s our senior’s Dive Gear. Have you heard of Teruue Mizuki?”

In response to my words, Kanon shook her head apologetically.

Apparently, she’s extremely uninterested in things that don’t concern her.

Even though becoming a new S-Rank should have been a topic of conversation, Kanon didn’t seem to know.

“She recently became S-Rank. Since she doesn’t have S-Rank Dive Gear yet, she offered to make it.”

“…S-Rank Dive Gear? Could that child really…?”

For a fleeting moment, Kanon’s expression turned blank.

It was as if the video feed had been forcibly switched. The next instant, her smile returned.

“Hmm…that’s strange. She shouldn’t be able to make something like that yet.”

“Nameless gave it to her,” Toa said shyly, avoiding eye contact.

After looking at Toa for a few seconds, Kanon exclaimed, “Oh, I see!”

“The outsider Miuyme met, huh? …You’ve really meddled in unnecessary matters. Amateur brain tampering? What will you do if you break Miuyme, you fool?”

“Kyaa!”

Startled by the sudden change, Toa let out a frightened squeak.

Realizing this, Kanon blinked and laughed awkwardly.

“Ah, ahaha… Sorry. Did I scare you? I get called a siscon by Luka too. When it comes to Miuyme, I… just a little bit?”

Hmm, maybe Jilnias Academy only lets weirdos in?

But a sister who cares deeply for her sibling is a magnificent beauty worthy of respect.

The brilliance of someone possessing the ‘elder sister’ attribute never fades…

“You really love Miuyme-chan, don’t you?”

“Yeah, because we’re the only family of two. Both our parents passed away when we were young, so Miuyme is my precious little sister.”

Kanon smiled as she spoke.

She added countless spoonfuls of sugar into her mug and stirred it rhythmically with a spoon.

Her mechanical motions were strangely captivating.

“We promised to always be together as a family. I want her to grow up properly.”

As if Miuye herself were standing right in front of her, Kanon gently smiled with tender eyes.

“—I’m really glad she’s made friends.”

A simple statement of love as a sister and family member.

Nothing particularly extraordinary.

Yet…

“Wha!??”

I realized I had stood up.

No, to be precise, I was about to transform into Solciera.

My subconscious defense mechanism had moved my body.

“What’s wrong, Kei-kun? Why did you suddenly stand up?”

Noticing my stance, Kanon tilted her head curiously.

She looked undeniably like a beautiful girl.

The unsettling feeling I had experienced earlier had completely disappeared.

“What’s the matter?”

To cover up, I sheepishly said,

“Ah, no… I was just heading to the restroom.”

“Oh, if you go straight back and turn left, you’ll find it.”

“Thank you.”

With that, I excused myself and headed to the restroom at the back of the lab.

“Partner, what happened?”

Was it just my imagination?

I clearly saw Kanon’s aura of beauty flicker and disappear for a moment.

My unconscious defense mechanism had reacted to something unseen.

“Hey, is something wrong?”

Kanon tilted her head innocently.

She appeared perfectly normal, like any other beautiful girl.

I decided to play it off.

“Ah, nah. Just heading to the bathroom.”

I moved toward the restroom, trying to shake off the strange sensation.

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