The day Irene moved in, I held a small welcoming party.
Although I called it “moving,” it was more like she just transferred herself over.
In the first place, my friend didn’t have much to bring.
After all, her house had burned down completely.
「What should I buy?」
「Everything you can grab!」
When the delivery Violets purchased a large amount of food from nearby restaurants, the food was quickly transported to my house via inventory.
Soon, the dining table was piled high with food.
“Isn’t this too much?”
I noticed Irene flinch slightly at the sight of the prepared dishes.
There was a special sale going on, and we bought plenty, so it was indeed a lot.
Well, it’s not a problem since the other tenant friends would eat with us anyway.
If there were leftovers, the Violets could take care of them.
「If it cos to that, we can save so as midnight snacks for the doctor!」
「That’s a good idea.」
The doctor’s been gaining so weight lately.
Since he’s had enough rest, it’s ti to make him work again.
“We’ll share with the others too! Oh, by the way, we’re inviting them to the welco party. That’s fine, right?”
“A party… sounds fun.”
While we were preparing, Violet No. 231, who was in charge of the dormitory, called over so friends.
The first one was Lucian.
“Hey! Lucian! Co out!”
“Ah… what now?”
Lucian ca out, sounding irritated.
Peeking behind him, I saw his room filled with scattered books.
Was he studying?
“A party? What are you talking about?”
“Yep, a new friend just moved in.”
The mont he saw the purple-haired girl standing behind , his black eyes widened slightly.
“…It’s been a few days, huh.”
“What’s this? Why are you here?”
“I had so circumstances, so I moved to the room next door! We’ll be living together from now on, so just keep that in mind!”
I didn’t bother explaining the complicated and difficult personal matters Irene was dealing with.
It was her private business, after all.
“…It’s your house, so do whatever you want.”
After informing Lucian, I headed to the next location—a workout facility set up next to the dormitory building.
Past a stack of boxes in one corner of the factory was a space resembling a fitness room.
There, Granite was sweating profusely as he worked out.
The mont he saw us, he quickly set down the barbell he had lifted to chest height.
“Violet, huh? And the person next to you… Irene? What are you doing here?”
“I just moved in today. By the way, how’s the setup? If there’s anything lacking, let know!”
“I couldn’t be more grateful. I didn’t think you’d actually set up a fitness room just because I asked…”
Now that I’d let him know, the only one left was Levi.
She had gone out briefly, so I asked one of the surveillance Violets.
「What’s Levi up to?」
「She’s job hunting, but her results are, um….」
Violet No. 65 trailed off and shared her vision.
The scene in front of No. 231’s eyes shifted to the downtown area.
I saw a twin-tailed girl being turned away at the door of a shop and getting chased out.
She was carrying a massive bag on her back.
「Poor thing. But why’d she take that old case with her? It looks heavy.」
「Check her mories. She also stopped by a clan office earlier. Looks like she was trying to get work as a hunter.」
Digging into her mory, I found a scene of Levi leaving an office with a dejected expression.
That place functioned like an adventurer guild office.
Although it advertised job openings, it was actually a place connected through personal networks, so they wouldn’t accept an ordinary schoolgirl.
No. 231 clicked her tongue internally and pulled out her smartphone to send a ssage.
I told Levi to co ho quickly since sothing important had co up, so she should be back soon.
「By the way, when are you going to move those boxes?」
「Tonight, I’ll transfer them to another warehouse.」
Inside each of the boxes stacked next to the dormitory were several Violets in hibernation, wrapped in plastic.
There were about 30 of them.
We were currently in the process of moving them from the dormitory basent.
Of course, not everything from the basent had been moved yet.
Once the party ended tonight, I planned to finish the rest.
As the Violets muttered amongst themselves, about thirty minutes later, Levi arrived, panting as she walked into the factory.
She really didn’t need to rush that much.
“Wh-What’s the matter? I’m not late, am I? Is everything okay?”
“You didn’t run here, did you?”
“Ugh… H-How did you know?”
Wow, so she really did.
I couldn’t believe she ran all the way here from downtown while carrying that huge bag. Impressive!
“That’s strange. I gave you transportation money earlier. Was it not enough?”
“Well, it just felt wasteful… I an, I’m already imposing on you…”
Ah, I see.
Now I understand.
This timid girl must have felt uncomfortable using the money we gave her.
It would’ve been nice if she could live carefreely like the other guys.
“Don’t stress about it! I’ll need your help in the future too, so feel free to use it! Eat as much as you want too!”
“Alright…”
I patted Levi on the back and offered a few comforting words.
I also made sure to ntion the party happening later.
“Make sure you co!”
Levi awkwardly waved to Irene and headed to her room.
By the ti I’d wrapped up so small tasks and finished preparing for the party, it was already evening.
「All done!」
「It’s party ti!」
I called everyone in the house to co downstairs.
Not that it was necessary since they had already started gathering, drawn by the sll of the food.
“Wow, it’s like a buffet!”
“Are we really allowed to eat all this?”
“Did you forget what I said earlier? Don’t hold back!”
After seating the first two who arrived, Lucian also ca downstairs.
“Isn’t this a bit excessive for a welco party?”
“Then don’t eat.”
“No, I’ll eat.”
Finally, once Irene ca down, I started the party.
“Alright! Let’s give a round of applause to today’s main guest!”
“I’m staying here for a while due to so circumstances. I hope we get along.”
As Irene introduced herself, everyone clapped awkwardly.
“Enjoy the food, everyone!”
While everyone was eating, Lucian sat there resting his chin on his hand, staring silently at the ceiling.
He kept fiddling with his blue hair, looking deep in thought.
“Are you feeling unwell? Or is the food not to your taste?”
When I asked, Lucian turned his gaze to and shook his head slowly.
“No, it’s not that. But I have a question for Irene.”
“What is it?”
“By any chance, are you like ?”
I tilted my head in confusion, trying to figure out what he ant.
Irene, noticing my confusion, explained.
“No, it’s not related to the academy. It’s personal, so don’t ask further.”
“Is that so? Well, at least it’s not about the student council. It’s bad enough that the first- and second-ranked freshn turned out like this.”
At those words, Levi, who had been eating quietly, suddenly raised her head like a startled rabbit and glanced around nervously.
Granite, holding a drumstick, froze mid-bite.
The atmosphere in the dining room grew heavy.
Realizing he had soured the mood, Lucian grimaced.
“I’ll step outside for so air.”
He left in a hurry, as if fleeing the scene.
Even so, the heavy atmosphere remained.
Everyone seed lost in thought, brooding over their own situations.
“Ugh…”
“I wonder how my grandmother is doing…”
The party fell apart shortly after it began.
One by one, people left, citing various excuses, as their appetite vanished.
“Everyone seems to be going through a tough ti…”
Irene sighed.
We ate in silence for a while.
“Irene, what are you going to do now?”
“I’ve applied for a leave of absence. By the way, Violet.”
I t my friend’s calm yet serious golden gaze.
“What have you been preparing these days?”
“Preparing?”
“Ever since you declared in front of Daphne and that you’d destroy the Academy, you’ve been moving around busier than ever. Even now, another version of you is probably up to sothing sowhere, right?” ℞𝙖ɴȪ𐌱Ёꞩ
As I pondered her intentions, Irene clasped her hands together and, while still seated, pulled her chair closer to .
“Still, you haven’t told what you plan to do in the anti. I’ve been waiting, but I’d like you to tell what you’re going to do from now on.”
I realized my mistake. We weren’t ready to share that yet.
What I was preparing to do to the Academy was far more extre and dangerous than anyone could imagine.
I had planned to explain everything only after all the preparations were complete.
“Ugh! Irene, can’t I tell you later?”
“Why can’t you tell now?”
Her tone was calm but carried an undeniable weight that made it hard to argue. I barely managed to respond to her firm attitude.
“I can’t explain everything. The plan isn’t complete yet! And it’s super dangerous.”
“Is it sothing you can’t even explain to a friend?”
“It’s not that, but…”
My voice trailed off. Irene didn’t stop there.
“And those weapons, where did you get them? I may not be a soldier, but I’ve learned enough to know what kinds of weapons exist. At first, I let it slide when you used homade bombs. But the weapons you used yesterday? Not just machine guns but even rocket launchers? That’s not sothing an ordinary student can acquire.”
I flinched.
“Fine, I’ll explain everything…”
I felt embarrassed and could only scratch my head.
“But it’s going to be a long story. And you have to promise not to get angry or overly surprised. Got it?”
The tense air surrounding us finally softened a bit.
“Before I explain, let ask you sothing first. You said you got the contact information for the Chancellor, right? I’ve collected so information and data. Later, could you report it to them?”
“I’ll do that. Now, can you explain? What you’re planning to do.”
“Alright. So, what I was planning was…”
“Kyaaaaah! Kyaaaaaah!”
Suddenly, a scream echoed, causing Irene to look out the door in confusion.
The scream ca from the dormitory’s first-floor hallway.
“What’s that noise?”
And at that mont, I had a bad feeling that sothing troubleso had happened.
「Ah! We’ve been caught!」
「Our bodies!」
The sound of frantic footsteps coming down the stairs was followed by several overlapping voices.
“What the hell is going on?… A corpse!”
“What’s the big deal… Wait, what the hell!”
Shouts erupted in succession. Irene stood up from her seat, confused.
“Ah! Irene, wait here for a mont!”
I rushed to the first-floor hallway.
The basent door was open.
At the bottom of the stairs stood three people with shocked expressions.
As I descended, I saw, under the dim light, rows of Violet clones still stacked on shelves, not yet fully sorted.
That’s strange.
I was sure I closed the basent door.
Lucian glanced between my face and the wrapped, hibernating clones of Violet, then opened his mouth.
“What, what is this? What is this…?”
“I told you not to go into the basent! And how did you even open it? I’m sure it was locked.”
In response to my question, Levi answered instead.
“I-I didn’t open it. It was already open. I just… I just went in to turn off the light because it was on!”
Damn it. I must’ve forgotten to lock the door in the process of moving my bodies.
Today was supposed to be the day everything was finalized, and yet sothing ridiculous had to happen.
“Listen, I think there’s been a misunderstanding… Those are my clones.”
I moved quickly to explain.
I transferred my consciousness into one of the bodies wrapped in plastic on the shelf.
One Violet clone suddenly sat up, plastic still covering her, and waved her hand.
“See? It’s a clone, right? Look, it’s moving!”
“Kyaaaaah! The corpse is moving!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Levi scread again, and Granite staggered back with a pale face before collapsing to the ground.
It seed my attempt to explain had only made things worse.
Lucian extended his arm forward, a magic circle unfolding in front of him.
“You bastard. What are you? Are you so kind of ghoul?”
“I’m telling you, it’s my clone!”
“Don’t lie! What kind of clone ability is that? Anyone can see it’s a corpse!”
It seed their misunderstanding had only grown worse.
And then, Levi, completely terrified, bolted out the door.
“Kyaaaaaah! Nooo!”
While I stood dumbfounded, the other two shoved past and ran out of the basent.
“Shit, run!”
“Aghhh!”
「Oh? They’re running!」
「Catch them, quickly!」
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