Vol 23 Chapter 4 (2/2)
”D......Do you mean you know the answer?”
”Of course!”
Clara H a.s.serted this. Her figure made Clara A stare unconsciously in fascination.
Why was Clara H so full of self-confidence?
Clara A was the only one with the mission 'absolutely resolve the problem no matter what'.
”It's to use this drug and challenge Layfon a final time!”
Clara H cried out, clenching a fist.
But for some reason, her thumb was sticking out between her index and middle fingers.[2]
Moreover, all of the mental Claras could obviously understand what that meant. Though they symbolized various thoughts here, they were all Claribel in the end.
Because they possessed similar knowledge.
”That's going too far!”
Clara K expressed her refusal, her face red.
”H-H-H-H-H......How could we do that kind of thing!”
”Why? A sleeping drug, Layfon, feeling depressed even though she realized the fight of her dreams...... Considering all those factors, this is the only answer you can come up with.”
”How......”
”After the battle between Military Artists ends, next is the battle between men and women!”
The reactions of the other mental Claras had varied differences compared to Clara H's pa.s.sionate speech.
Some were red-faced like Clara K, and some showed excited expressions. Come to think of it, there were also some calmly looking at the two sides bicker.
Though there were also other subtle differences, most reactions could be separated into those three types.
”In other words, approval, opposition, and neutrality.
And...... as for Clara A--
”Ah, I see.”
She was very impressed.
To her, the current problem was how to overcome this difficulty. At this critical junction, it didn't matter what kind of means she used to reach her goal.
After all, Clara only had the determination to 'absolutely resolve this problem no matter what'.
”Since we can't give it up, then let's just use it. If we're going to use it, let's make it effective.”
Clara A loudly approved of Clara H's opinion.
”How about it, everyone?”
Then, she asked her compatriots this.
”I hereby announce that, right now, the 'final showdown between man and woman' officially begins!”
In that instant, details of the battle plan were conveyed to the hearts of her other compatriots.
After all, they were all the same person.
◇
After the chattering and pondering......
”Urrghhh......”
Clara finally opened the door.
”Yo, Clara. Where are you going after covering yourself in the fragrant aroma of the bathroom?”
”Uuu!”
Clara almost cried upon being immediately teased by s.h.i.+n's cheerful tone.
”It's a joke. Are you alright?”
”I...... I'm alright!”
”Well, I thought you'd either be crying, or your stomach was really hurting.”
”Hah?”
”Since you're not crying, your stomach must be hurting. You at too much, huh.”
”Wha...... I didn't!”
s.h.i.+n smiled as he left, with Clara huffily shouting at him.
”And what do you mean, crying......”
Clara muttered as she looked around.
The noisiness from the beginning had already diminished significantly, and right now a moderated atmosphere perfused the area. The groups of people here included Nina's seventeenth platoon members and s.h.i.+n's fourteenth platoon members, as well as Meishen and her friends, and one other person - a resident of this apartment.
None of them had left.
Everyone was happily talking with those they were close with.
Nina met Clara's gaze and sent her a worried look. After waving at Nina with a smile, Nina showed a relieved expression.
The hand she waved at Nina with was covered in sweat.
(Um......)
Clara murmured to herself.
(Where's Layfon......)
This place was much larger than the average Zuellni apartment, but it wasn't too large, so it still felt very cramped when so many people congregated here.
Clara immediately found Layfon.
He was talking with his platoon's Dite technician.
His name was......
(Huh?)
”Uh......”
What the heck, she couldn't think of it.
They lived in the same apartment, but for some reason she couldn't think of his name.[3]
”Ah, whatever.”
Clara gave up thinking altogether about who the overall-clad guy was and started thinking about her battle plan.
What should she do to put Layfon to sleep?
That was where the problem lied.
There were two kinds of ways.
Take Layfon away from here alone, then make him drink the sleeping drug.
Or put everyone else to sleep, and then bring him back to her place.
If she did the former, she would have to take him away from here...... At the least, she would have to leave this room first.
If she did the latter, she would have to put everyone to sleep, which would make it hard to keep others from getting suspicious.
No one could help her. She tried thinking about who could help as she thought about how best to knock Layfon out (pharmaceutically).
”Um...... But...... What should I do?”
She still hadn't thought of a way.
Since she couldn't think of a way to take Layfon away from here alone, she should think about how to put everyone to sleep in an instant. That was more appropriate.
However, that wasn't easy to do.
Clara walked towards the place the fourteenth platoon was gathered as she thought about this matter. She couldn't think of any good way at all.
”Will this work?”
Just as Clara was wondering how to solve this difficult puzzle, she noticed it.
It seemed that the G.o.ds of fortune hadn't forsaken Clara.
It was a small machine placed in a corner of the room.
An air purifier.
Had it been taken out because there were many people coming? Or had it always been there? Clara walked over to check, and saw a run light blinking as it continuously discharged air.
It also had humidification functions.
When she saw the flas.h.i.+ng light signaling a lack of water, Clara realized that the G.o.ds of fortune were seriously supporting her.
”Meishen-san.”
”What is it?”
Clara called out to Meishen who was pa.s.sing by. She looked over, holding new food.
Clara reflexively wove words while feeling somewhat guilty that she was still making food.
But her tone was very calm and not impatient.
”There's no water left, should I add some?”
Completely like she was trying to carry out an act of goodwill she had just thought up.
”Ah, that would be a great help.”
”No problem.”
After responding, Clara took out the water container and walked to the sink.
She added the water in a place no one could see.
Of course, she didn't forget to add a drop of the drug to the water.
”I forgot something in my room, so I'll go back and get it.”
After saying that, Clara waited outside for an entire hour, then returned.
She covered her mouth, carefully easing the door open.
The room was extremely quiet, though it was unsure whether the drug had been effective.
Not knowing what the situation was, Clara crept into the room.
Everyone in the living room was lying on the ground as if they had collapsed.
Though this was for own benefit, Claribel felt as if her heartbeat had stopped. Meishen's journalist friend was the closest to her. After putting her hand near her mouth to check that she was breathing, Clara let out a relieved breath.
But she still couldn't be careless. Clara held her breath and approached the air filter, rapidly taking out its water container.
After checking that the kitchen exhaust fan was still running, Clara finally felt like it was time to move on.
”And now......”
She muttered, still covering her mouth with her hand.
The next step.
The feeling of her heart beating painfully hard made Clara dizzy. She found Layfon, ready to pick him up.
She prepared to pick him up.
She reached her arms out to pick him up.
Those arms stopped.
Clara noticed.
She noticed that a gaze was staring at her.
Her face felt paralyzed. This was the sensation of being stared at by someone. Clara slowly looked over.
Meishen was there, and her other friend was also there, along with one other person.
That person looked at Clara.
Vati Len looked at Clara.
She was lying down next to Meishen, her face pointed this way.
Her eyes were wide open.
In that instant, Clara's thoughts stopped.
◇
The mental conference erupted in a noisy commotion again.
”Why doesn't the drug work on that person!”
Clara H cried angrily.
”Come to think of it, she's supposedly not human, right?”
”Ah......”
”Now that you mention it--”
”Indeed.”
After Clara H calmly said that, everyone instantly realized.
”Come to think of it, she's really scary.”
”She doesn't blink either.”
”She doesn't breathe, is she really alive?”
”Honestly, does she even need to breathe?”
”Selina-senpai said this was effective on filth monsters, right?”
”Maybe it's not effective because it was diluted?”
”Then what is she doing?”
”Hmm!”
After Clara C murmured this, everyone made pondering noises.
The person named Vati Len was clearly not a normal girl. Nina was the only one in Zuellni other than Clara who knew that she was the enemy of the world, and the difference between the powers of the two sides was overwhelmingly large.
The moment she told her secret to someone else, Zuellni would be destroyed.
She had announced this, and Clara understood that such a thing was possible with her power.
So Clara had always been very careful not to bother Vati.
So Nina and Clara could only resign themselves to observing what Vati did.
Fortunately, she hadn't brought forth any visible destruction. But they couldn't a.s.sert that nothing had happened just because they couldn't see anything.
So the two of them could only agonize every single day.
That Vati was looking at Clara.
To think she had focused her mind to other matters and forgotten about the existence of Vati......
”What a grave misstep.”
Their carelessness made Clara A sigh.
”No, there's still hope!”
It was Clara H who proclaimed this.
”Why do you think so?”
”Because she hasn't done anything until now.”
Clara H stated.
”Though she hasn't done anything visible, who knows about what we haven't seen. But that just means that she at least doesn't want to do anything to cause any direct destruction. Isn't that how things are?”
”Well, probably.”
Maybe.
Maybe not.
She was this fretful because things were unclear.
”Yeah, it's really nerve-wracking.”
Clara H nodded strongly.
”But it's only because it's nerve-wracking that we were worried and unable to move for so long. Isn't this foolish?”
”Ohh!”
Why?
Why could Clara H make such a strong, powerful declaration?
After Clara H said this, Clara A and the other mental Claras wearing confused looks slowly regained their reason.
Clara H had that much strength.
How inexplicable.
What exactly was the character trait that Clara H possessed?
As she thought about such things, Clara A asked:
”Then what do we do now?”
”Need I say it!?”
As expected, Clara H was at no loss.
”Of course, we continue the plan!”
With her att.i.tude, it wasn't hard to imagine Clara H saying something like that.
But it certainly brought courage to others when she proclaimed this with an unshakeable att.i.tude.
”I believe that she won't move. She probably fell to the ground like everyone and pretended to sleep in order to show that she wouldn't move!”
”Ohh~......”
Clara H's valiant figure as she raised a fist high made the mental Claras ecstatic.
”Come, right now is when we achieve our goals!”
Clara H's declaration united the wills of the mental Claras.
◇
Click!
Clara made her decision without making a sound, but after a shout from inside her heart instead.
Vati was awake. She was clearly pretending to sleep, gazing over from behind the eyelids that she had closed.
Even if she realized that, she couldn't stop at this point.
”I've come this far!”
Clara reaffirmed her determination with a hushed voice as she put Layfon on her back, then surrept.i.tiously left the room.
She couldn't look down upon a Military Artist's self-defense instinct even if they were drugged. The body could feel that it was in a crisis and then detoxify itself...... Such a thing might happen with a Military Artist's body.
Vati seemed not to be pursuing.
Clara moved her attention from behind her to Layfon's body as she stealthily moved to her room.
Clara anxiously drew out the key to open the door to her room. The key had to get stuck in her pocket at this time. Clara pulled the key out forcefully, opening a tear in the cloth.
The unusual sound of the ripping cloth increased her sense of anxiety, making her brain almost boil.
She couldn't make a sound, even to curse. Clara expelled her irritated feelings from her mind.
In reality, she acted extremely calmly.
After opening the door, she headed directly to the bedroom, placing Layfon lightly on the bed.
The scene of Layfon sleeping on her bed made Clara's head spin, and she almost lost consciousness there, but she forced herself to get a grip.
In any case, she first closed the open door, then locked it and put up the chain...... Then, Clara finally returned to her bedroom with a sense of accomplishment.
”......He hasn't woken up, right?'
She sneakily peeked into the bedroom.
The sound of Layfon's calm breathing reached her ears.
He was still sleeping. Claribel let out a relieved breath, then muttered.
”Then......”
◇
”Next is the rematch!”
Clara H was very excited.
The other mental Claras were also infected by her excitement.
But for some reason, Clara A was very calm at this moment.
Why was that?
The moment she saw the sleeping Layfon, she had a kind of 'huh?' feeling.
”It seems like something's wrong?”
That murmur didn't reach the ears of her compatriots. It just resounded in Clara A's ears, lingering in her chest like a suspicion exclusive to Clara A.
Could she ignore that doubt? Clara A felt anxious.
She had to do something.
What Clara A represented was that kind of straightforward mission.
Even if no one agreed, she had to think of some way to deal with that doubt.
”What am I concerned about?”
She had become like this after seeing Layfon, so the reason was definitely with him.
But in the current kind of situation, the opinions of the mental Claras were probably united.
No......
A united opinion - that phrase was inaccurate. The mental Claras were the manifestations of Claribel's countless personality traits. Though their origins were similar, they couldn't fully form a unanimous opinion.
In the end, they used majority vote like the real world did.
Majority vote - meaning there were also people who cast opposing votes.
Clara A was one of the first to be influenced by Clara H and become a supporter, so she had completely forgotten about that.
”It couldn't be......”
After thinking of that, Clara A looked around.
The mental Claras were almost all gathered by the screen, but as she looked around, there were also scattered ones who weren't doing that.
Clara A approached one of them.
”What's wrong?”
Surprised, Clara G looked at the approaching Clara A.
”Do you oppose this?”
Clara A asked frankly.
”Rather than opposing it, it's more like I dislike it.”
Clara G also replied frankly.
”Dislike it?”
”You don't know?”
Clara A was speechless for a moment when she was asked this.
Had she missed something?
”Do you know what we came here to do?”
”......Huh?”
This......
Clara G's words made Clara A think of something.
She unconsciously looked back.
The mental Claras were crowded in front of the screen watching the original slowly shortening the distance between her and Layfon as they raised fists and prayed to the G.o.ds of fortune.
Incidentally, their thumbs were between their index and middle fingers.
For some reason, Clara A's eyes looked towards Clara H.
Why was she here?
Any mental Clara would be able to think of that answer with a bit of thinking.
But Clara H had proclaimed such a thing.
Of course, Claribel had that sort of desire. It was because she had that kind of desire that supporters among the mental Claras were gathered over there.
Even Clara A had once been a member of that group.
But something was wrong.
”Hmm?”
She was able to realize the key because she had once been a supporter and had then left the group.
Clara A narrowed her eyes and looked at Clara H's back.
”............Ah.”
She saw something that ought not to exist.
”................................................A zipper?”
There was a zipper on Clara H's back.
She could understand if it were on her clothes, as the zipper could be explained as being part of the clothing.
But that zipper was on the back of her head.
Clara A silently and stealthily approached Clara H's back. Clara H and the others were focused on watching the screen and didn't notice Clara A approaching.
Clara A silently reached a hand to Clara H's zipper.
She pulled it down in a flash.
The Clara figure that was the same as everyone else's instantly parted in two and dropped softly to the ground.
Then, what showed up there was......
”Ah, Sensei!”
After Clara A called out, Clara H - no, her teacher Troyatte - turned his head around.
”Why!?”
Why was Troyatte here?
But after she cried out, Clara A immediately realized the reason.
”Ah, you're the part of the personality that was influenced too much by Sensei.”
After becoming his disciple, Claribel had immediately looked forward to Troyatte's way of life, but her teacher's countless womanizing actions had made Claribel hold him at arm's length and immediately disdain him.
So Clara A recognized that the mental Claras who responsibly looked up to her teacher's personality had already become extinct.
”I didn't think you would still be hanging on to life here!”
To think she had managed to hold on to life and had wielded influence in such an important juncture.
”Ahahahahahahaha! Since I've been revealed, there's no helping it!”
Troyatte laughed as he leaped away.
”To think we would be manipulated by that thing!”
”Drive him away! Hurry up and drive him away!”
”Stop!”
”Ahahahahahahahaha!”
After noticing that they had been instigated, the mental Claras chased after him with killing intent. Troyatte fled, and the difference in strength between master and pupil preordained in the mental Claras made it so that they were unable to capture Troyatte.
”I won't disappear! I won't disappearrrrrrrrr!”
”Disappearrrrrrrrr!”
Troyatte roared in a dramatic tone, and the mental Claras banded together to respond. This was the strength of influence between master and pupil. Whether good or bad, it seemed that they had to resign themselves to his actions.
Maybe because she had seen through his true ident.i.ty, Clara A was free of her teacher's influence and stayed in front of the screen alone.
She alone looked at the screen.
The image on the screen was comprised of her hands, along with the ceiling visible through the gaps between her fingers.[4]
Translator's Notes and References ↑ This is actually in the text. ↑ This is a gesture symbolizing s.e.x. ↑ Poor Harley. ↑ I a.s.sume that Claribel is facepalming with her head back and ends up stopping what she was going to do.
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