Chapter 93

Chapter 92: Illusion Commitment

After being transported, I immediately shut myself in the prepared room.

Door locked, check!

“… Phew.”

As expected of Jouka, she knew various things we were unaware of!

‘You’re impressive. And to think the Magic Eye was actually the ghost’s true identity.’

I ended up showing that I knew, but it’s genuinely surprising. She helped me too, really, beautiful girls have such big hearts.

I have to repay this favor someday!

‘That’s right. Still, it was unexpected that she would refuse to cooperate. That Man-Eating Frog can take on Divided Death head-on in terms of numbers. The explosion as an attack method would likely be effective too. She’s smart, so she must be more than capable.’

That statement is correct.

Indeed, if she were here, I could utterly destroy the Doctor.

If she attacked, I wouldn’t even have to directly harm a beautiful girl.

But that won’t do.

It would mean I defeated her at Solciera’s convenience.

As long as I, we, remain Mysterious Beautiful Girls, most matters must be resolved solely by Solciera.

I am a Mysterious Beautiful Girl.

I’m not an evil female executive who uses my companions to defeat others, nor am I a heroine who defeats evil alongside my friends.

That is neutrality.

An existence centered around myself, sometimes an enemy, sometimes an ally.

That is Solciera.

Using someone’s ability to win might be fine.

A Mysterious Beautiful Girl can skillfully make use of any power in that moment.

Pushing someone’s back isn’t too bad either.

In those fleeting moments when justice aligns with whim, a Mysterious Beautiful Girl appears dependable.

However, it’s not okay to fight side by side…

If it were to happen, then it would have to be the final episode, or in an extremely serious emergency.

‘Then you should have used Jouka skillfully. You could have drawn Jouka over to the Doctor’s side easily. After all, she was eager to help you.’

That’s the worst.

The bottom line is that beautiful girls shouldn’t get into dangerous situations.

If it’s necessary for her, that can’t be helped, but this time it’s genuinely unrelated.

There’s no way I can involve an unrelated beautiful girl for the sake of Mysterious Beautiful Girl moves.

Star Reader’s Staff, please think calmly.

Solciera is not an existence meant to hurt anyone.

‘… I’m sorry, I seem to be quite flustered as well. I didn’t expect Solciera to be completely sealed off.’

It’s okay.

We are Solciera together, so when one of us is off, we just need to knock some sense back into them.

‘That’s right. So, can I go now?’

All right! Come on!

‘Hey, didn’t you touch Jouka’s lips?’

… Star Reader’s Staff, that was necessary. It just felt more like a Mysterious Beautiful Girl move.

‘You’re a guy right now, right?’

Sorry.

‘Did you forcefully replenish your Mysterious Beautiful Girl energy with that since you were failing to act like a Mysterious Beautiful Girl?’

… As expected of my partner! You see through everything!

‘Reflect on it.’

Whew… Sorry…

It seemed that due to Solciera’s defeat, we were both acting strangely.

I’ve never even heard of a spin-off, but it can’t be helped; I just want to make sure this never happens again.

I was maneuvering pretty well through the mess at Factom General Academy back then!

Thinking back on those times!

‘Oh, speaking of which, shouldn’t we confirm that Toa is safe? If she was taken hostage by the Doctor, that would be a serious emergency.’

True. Toa would be the perfect hostage.

I opened the door and hurriedly headed toward Toa’s room.

Then, in front of the door, there was already a shadow of someone.

“… Toa!”

Oh no, has the Doctor arrived?!

‘No, that’s…’

As I hurried up, I confirmed the face of that shadow.

Though it was a dim outline, it was definitely Miuye.

What’s this? A midnight secret meeting between beautiful girls?

… Wait, since when did Miu x Toa happen?!

‘There’s also the possibility of Toa x Miu.’

“Miuye…?”

Realizing she was being called, Miuye looked at me wide-eyed.

“Ah, Kei… What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you.”

“Eh? I… uh? What am I doing here?”

Miuye tilted her head.

At that moment, her stomach let out an adorable sound.

We both froze and glanced at each other for a few seconds.

Miuye scratched her head bashfully and laughed, “Ahaha…”

“I guess I haven’t eaten anything because of all the tests. Ah, ahaha.”

“O-Oh, I see. Then, um… how about we eat together now?”

“Is that okay?!”

I nodded. If I can eat with a beautiful girl, I can easily manage two midnight snacks!

“Yay, I’m so happy! Eating at this time feels special and exciting!”

Miuye said, looking pleased.

“Since it’s a special occasion, I’ll invite Toa too!”

Saying that, Miuye knocked on the door.

Before long, Toa appeared, equipped with the pajamas and nightcap I had borrowed, looking half-asleep.

So cute!

“Hmm… What’s up with you two?”

“We’re about to have dinner!”

Toa looked at me with sleepy eyes. Those eyes clearly held the question, “Didn’t you just eat?”

“What do you say? Want to join?”

“Eh… eat again?”

Seeing Toa respond drowsily, I gently conveyed that it wasn’t a must.

“Ah, no need to force yourself, Toa.”

“Mm… I’ll eat.”

Even while rubbing her sleepy eyes, Toa firmly stated that.

Could it be that Toa is quite the foodie?

—

In the research lab enshrouded in a light fog from the explosion of the Man-Eating Frog, Kanon sighed as she stared at the place Solciera had vanished.

“Ugh, she managed to escape. Ugh, what a hassle.”

It should have been theoretically perfect.

She identified the true identity in the afternoon, and then planned and prepared thoroughly.

Still, the fact she couldn’t be caught must mean Solciera was an existence beyond her.

“… No, that can’t be the case. Yeah.”

Kanon forced herself to deny the possibility.

The explosion that allowed Solciera to escape was an act by a third party.

It was a complete irregularity.

Solciera probably hadn’t anticipated it either.

‘—Oh, it seems it’s time.’

“What was that about…?”

Solciera had set a time limit for herself. Did she anticipate the likelihood of encountering a Doctor like me from the start?

What was she trying to investigate?

Was she researching the Magic Eye?

No, or rather…

“I haven’t heard that Solciera possesses a Magic Eye.”

That was undoubtedly an unknown magical formula.

A completely original spell that didn’t even exist in academic circles.

What brought her all the way here?

“That child knew the whereabouts of the Magic Eye. In that case—”

As a premise, Solciera knows about the Magic Eye.

From her actions during the day, it was clear that what came out of her mouth wasn’t just a bluff.

She knows the whereabouts of the Magic Eye and also what kind of Magic Eye it is.

Then, what was the meaning of coming all the way to this research lab?

With that thought, Kanon halted her reasoning.

She had no choice but to stop due to the sudden sound of a forcibly opened door.

“How loud! That’s an automatic door with an electronic lock, you know?”

Turning her chair, Kanon pouted.

Before her stood a classmate, breathless and looking sharp.

“Gah, gah… Sol, Solciera reaction… Ugh!”

“Oh, Luka, if you run like that after barely sleeping, your heart might explode! Come on, sit down.”

Kanon stood up and urged her to take a seat.

Luka, huffing and uttering what sounded like gratitude, flopped into a chair.

“… Phew.”

“Are you okay?”

“I fainted about three times while running.”

“Stop that.”

“Thinking ahead, I made the ‘Zappy! Morning Boy’ that releases magic when I faint, so I’m okay.”

“Seriously, stop that.”

This was a stopping point from an ordinary, common-sense perspective rather than from a Doctor’s.

“There was a magical response from Solciera. The magic depth is weak, but the waveforms suggest teleportation.”

Sliding her finger across the window, Luka showed Kanon the data.

Kanon nodded after confirming it.

“Yeah, that’s right. In fact, she was just here.”

“Really! … Ugh, another dizziness—Gah!?”

“Oh, you zapped.”

Luka, who had slumped weakly in her chair, was forced upright.

Her eyes were wide open, glowing not with brightness, but with intensity.

“Solciera came here, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. Here’s the data.”

“Eh… Is that really okay?”

“I’m not particularly interested in analysis or clarification.”

Kanon handed Luka the information she had obtained during the brief scuffle.

Though it was comprised of existing information in the academy, to Luka, it was invaluable.

“Wow…! Friends are truly a treasure!”

“Of course, I’m a genius at Jilnias Academy. A genius always cherishes friends, haha.”

(I probably shouldn’t mention that Solciera has a Magic Eye. If any more new elements are added, Luka might break emotionally and seriously cry due to her curiosity and additional analysis time.)

Kanon decided to keep the information about the Magic Eye hidden for Luka’s sake.

“Turns out Solciera was interested in my research and inadvertently crossed paths with me, leading to a light scuffle. But she escaped.”

“R-Really? Please tell me your impressions of the fight—”

Suddenly, Kanon covered Luka’s mouth.

Then, after thinking for a moment, she smiled.

“For now, why don’t we sleep? If you want to gather more information on Solciera from me, the condition is that you sleep well tonight!”

Luka nodded, albeit with a look of dissatisfaction.

“All right, let’s sleep. See you in the morning.”

Kanon said this while stretching, content with herself. Seeing her back without a hint of gloom, Luka murmured in relief.

“… Solciera didn’t stop Kanon’s experiment, did she?”

“Hmm, it’s all good.”

Kanon turned around, smiled brightly, and made a peace sign.

“I won’t let my little sister interfere.”