"Come in." Before Chu Lian could even speak, a voice from inside invited her in. She froze. It was not Inori's voice, yet it sounded incredibly familiar.
Chu Lian opened the door and glanced at the combination of girls on the bed. Her expression went blank, and she instinctively tried to close the door again. However, the purple-haired girl spoke. "If you dare leave, then from now on, I'll come out every single time you sleep with Inori. Think carefully."
"Mm. I'll tell Aunt Mingxue that you're rejecting us. I'm sure she'll give us justice." Mana did not threaten her. She merely mentioned a trivial matter, yet it proved even more effective than Eve's threat. Chu Lian immediately stopped, turned around, and greeted them with a beaming smile. "Hi, Mana, Eve, Inori. Good evening."
"It certainly is late. After fooling around with so many people, you finally decided to visit my Inori?" Among Eve, Mana, and Inori, Eve was the eldest sister, Mana was the second sister, and Inori was the youngest. There was nothing wrong with Eve speaking this way. After all, they were all extremely familiar with one another.
"Ahem. I was handling serious business. That hardly counts as fooling around." Chu Lian coughed. She did not deny visiting the other girls' rooms, but she disagreed with the phrase fooling around. How could spending time with those girls possibly count as fooling around?
"Serious business? Your idea of serious business is licking feet, French kissing, having a threesome, deep kissing, giving gifts, and flirting?" Eve gazed at her with an enigmatic smile. Her words made Chu Lian want to flee the room immediately.
Chu Lian turned an imploring gaze toward the quiet Inori. Inori loved her dearly, after all, so she spoke up to rescue her. "Lian, did you need something?"
Seeing how understanding Inori was, Chu Lian breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Even with two devious schemers present, her adorable Inori was still on her side.
Hearing the question, she quickly nodded. "Yes, I do. I came here to discuss it with you."
"Mm?" Inori did not quite understand. If it concerned Monday's performance, she was not a student and did not need to participate, so there was no point in asking her. If it was not about the performance, then why had Chu Lian come to her?
For the time being, aside from fighting and singing, there was not much help she could offer Chu Lian, was there?
"It concerns Monday, but not the performance. It's something else." Chu Lian pondered briefly, then raised her head and spoke seriously. "With the president coming here, people will undoubtedly be watching from the shadows. At such a sensitive time, certain individuals are bound to try something."
"I'm worried that some of the people around the president may not truly belong to him. When the enemy launches their attack, those people might turn against him. Moreover, once the enemy strikes, they definitely won't target only the president. Our school will probably be caught up in it as well."
"Therefore, I hope you can go there and protect some people if anything unexpected happens. It would be inappropriate for me to expose myself in front of everyone. I'll also give you an item that can alter your appearance. With Eve inside your body as well, there will be no need to fear even an extraordinarily powerful enemy."
"This is the best solution. Every other option could easily expose us." Inori listened intently to everything Chu Lian said.
However, she could not decide this matter by herself. She raised her head and looked toward Eve, hoping she would answer.
"You know there is a price for me to appear. Thirty seconds is the absolute limit. If I exceed that, my soul will be damaged, and Inori's body will begin to collapse, so I cannot remain for long. Moreover, I expended too much energy a few days ago. Right now, I can appear for ten seconds at most. Ten seconds might be extremely important in a battle, but when protecting people, it is utterly useless."
"I know, which is why I'm not insisting that you come out. You only need to appear at the most critical moment, should it become necessary. Besides, with this item, Inori can fight at full power..." How could Chu Lian not understand that? However, she had already found a solution.
"This is a Transformation Bracelet. It allows the wearer to transform into a female character for half an hour. After transforming, no one will be able to detect the wearer's true identity. There won't be any problems until the bracelet runs out of energy. Mm, it doesn't only change the wearer's appearance. Even the visual effects of their abilities will change accordingly." As Chu Lian spoke, she handed over a white bracelet with a crystal embedded at its center.
"This thing must have limitations, right?" Mana, who had remained silent until now, spoke for the first time and immediately struck at the heart of the matter. The item did indeed possess several restrictions.
[Transformation Bracelet: This thing is essentially the same type of item as a Kämpfer Bracelet or those twintail transformation devices. Its sole purpose is to transform you into someone else. The resulting appearance might make you overflow with shame, or perhaps fill you with endless resentment. No one knows what you will become. Note 1: Each transformation consumes 23,333 Integrity Points. Note 2: After transforming, no method can detect the wearer's original identity. Cost: 17,777 Integrity Points.]
[Young lady, you have far too much integrity anyway. Don't mind losing a little more.]
This was the information provided by the system. The only restrictions were the half-hour duration and the consumption of 23,333 Integrity Points for every transformation. Everything else could be disregarded. The former was easy enough to explain, but the latter was truly difficult to say aloud.
"Mm. The limit is half an hour. Also, the energy consumed by the transformation will be drawn from me, so you don't need to worry." This explanation concealed the truth perfectly, or at least left no obvious flaws.
"I see. Let me foresee what will happen." Mana nodded thoughtfully, then closed her eyes, intending to see what might occur on Monday.
Unexpectedly, she let out a miserable scream the very next second. "Ah!" Clutching her head, she collapsed onto the bed in unbearable pain. The sight alone was heartbreaking.
"What happened?" Seeing this, Chu Lian no longer cared about anything else. She immediately rushed over and gathered Mana into her arms.
Behind her, Hare Menjou, who also existed as a spiritual body, appeared. White feathers of light drifted down, healing the mental injuries suffered by the girl in pain.
"Hah... hah... hah..." Mana gasped heavily. Although the body leaning against Chu Lian was a spiritual form, it still possessed weight—the weight of her soul. That weight should have felt light against Chu Lian, yet at that moment, it seemed unbearably heavy.
"Don't panic. Don't panic. Are you all right?" Chu Lian watched her anxiously. Only when Mana's tightly knitted brows gradually relaxed and the pallor faded from her face did Chu Lian finally calm down and ask softly.
"I'm fine. I was too impatient." Foresight was not prophecy. It merely combined every available piece of information to calculate the most probable outcome among the possibilities of the future. The computational power required for such a process was absolutely no less than that of an Academy City Level 5.
Mana's current condition seemed like the result of overtaxing her computational capacity, yet it also resembled the aftermath of an attack.
"Just now, a hostile wave of mental energy attacked me and prevented me from using foresight. It seemed afraid that I might see something." After a long time, the girl finally recovered enough to explain what had happened.
Although Chu Lian had already suspected this possibility, hearing Mana confirm it still sent a chill through her heart. This was unquestionably a premeditated attack, which meant Monday would be extremely dangerous.
"Don't worry. If the enemy were truly confident, they would not be acting so cautiously. It is precisely because they doubt whether they can succeed that they are exhausting every possible method to raise their chances. Therefore, Monday's incident will not be as dangerous as you fear."
Seemingly aware of Chu Lian's concern, Mana smiled faintly and shared her assessment.
Hearing this, Chu Lian thought it over carefully and realized Mana had a point. She only needed to recall how she herself handled things. To guarantee success, she used every possible method solely to ensure she could accomplish her objective.
That was how the weak approached matters. They refined every last detail precisely because they lacked absolute confidence in their success. True powerhouses, however, would simply use overwhelming strength to smash through everything, with no need to worry about such things.
"I understand." After thinking about it this way, Chu Lian was no longer quite so worried.
"Lian, give it to me." Inori reached out and took the Transformation Bracelet from Chu Lian's hand, slipping it onto her left wrist. The moment it was in place, it immediately adjusted itself to fit snugly against her skin, making it very comfortable to wear.
"It seems we truly will need to make this trip." Eve, who had inexplicably kept her eyes closed until now, opened her purplish-red eyes and looked at the girl as she spoke softly.
"Thank you for going through this trouble, Inori, Sister Mana, Sister Eve." What could Chu Lian possibly say when Inori and the others were helping her so unconditionally? It was precisely because of their support that she had made it this far.
"Inori, all of you must be careful. I feel uneasy." Hare Menjou, who had been silent, suddenly pressed a hand against her chest. Her voice was hesitant, but even more than that, it was resolute.
"I know. There's nothing we can do about it. Danger always descends upon us when we least expect it." Chu Lian shook her head. She also wanted to be careful, but many matters could not be avoided simply through caution.
"No matter what happens, please make sure you return safely." Hare Menjou possessed no combat ability. Her only means of harming an enemy was the ultimate technique [The King's Right Side], which carried severe aftereffects. If something truly went wrong, she would undoubtedly activate that barrier-type ability without regard for the consequences and protect them.
"We definitely will." Chu Lian knew Hare Menjou's words were directed partly at her, but even more so at Inori, who would be acting alone. Hare Menjou would accompany Chu Lian, but she could not remain with Inori.
"Mm. What a troublesome period. Still, I believe everything will pass soon." As Chu Lian spoke, she stepped forward and gently kissed Inori's cherry lips. Amid the blossoming of a white rose, she transferred all those songs to her.
"Mm? Lian?" Inori did not understand. Chu Chu and the others could perform as students, so they needed that knowledge. But Inori was participating as a combatant, so she had no need for it, did she?
"Because I want Inori, who can't sing a duet with me, to understand my feelings." Chu Lian pressed her forehead against Inori's, her eyes brimming with laughter. She was simply this willful, and she loved Inori this much.
"I look forward to it." Hearing this, Inori nodded gently. As long as Chu Lian wanted it, she would accept it. That was one of the most fundamental ways the two of them interacted.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't you think doing this right in front of us is going a little too far?" Eve crossed her arms over her chest and looked coldly at Chu Lian, who was acting so intimately with Inori.
"I think it's rather nice. As long as Inori is happy here, that's enough. As for lonely people like us, whom no one loves, we can simply remain by her side." Mana sounded indifferent, but the resentment hidden in her words could have filled an enormous vat of vinegar.
"I'll head back first." Sensing that the situation was turning dangerous, Hare Menjou was the first to leave rather than Chu Lian. After speaking, she transformed into a stream of light and returned to Chu Lian's Spirit Sea. In there, Chu Lian belonged to her alone.
"I didn't mean it that way." Chu Lian knew this could not be explained clearly, but if she did not try, the outcome would become even more miserable. She had no idea whether Mana and Eve were jealous, but she knew from experience that she herself would suffer.
"Then stay here tonight." Mana blinked, raised a hand to brush back her long orange hair, and looked at Chu Lian with laughter filling her reddish-orange eyes.
"Yes, stay. Don't worry. We're spiritual bodies, so we won't do anything to you." Eve nodded in agreement with Mana. Once she spoke, even if Inori objected, it would be useless. Chu Lian could only be forced to remain.
I'm finished... With that thought in mind, Chu Lian threw caution to the wind, lunged forward, gathered Inori into her arms, and rolled onto the bed.
Inside the room, the brilliant white light seemed to acquire a faint pink tint, creating an enchanting atmosphere...
Tina wore a miserable expression as she looked at the mop and broom in her hands. It was nearly dawn, yet she still had not finished cleaning the most troublesome fourth floor. She felt utterly incompetent.
Whenever she imagined the cats being left alone outside without her care, bullied by others, unable to eat or sleep properly, and perhaps even violated by tomcats, her heart throbbed with pain.
I don't care anymore. I absolutely have to finish cleaning the fourth and fifth floors before tomorrow arrives! Then I'll ask the Matriarch to plead with Master on my behalf and convince her to shorten the waiting period so the cats can move in sooner.
"Tina is the strongest, meow!" The pitiful little maid had failed to understand one thing. Cleaning did not have to be completed all at once. She could easily have gone back for a good night's sleep and returned the next day to finish the work. That would certainly have been better than cleaning in the dark.
"Mm?" The barefoot white-haired girl walked over. Seeing the little maid crouched on the floor and scrubbing it with a cloth, she hesitated before asking, "Tina, do you need help?"
"Huh? No need. This is Tina's own job, meow. Satsuki can just watch from the side, meow." Tina froze briefly upon hearing her offer, then refused.
Just as she had said, this was her responsibility. It would never be appropriate for an outsider to interfere.
Of course, she would never admit that she was worried Kurosaki Satsuki, who possessed only the vaguest understanding of everyday life, would make things worse and leave her even busier.
"Oh..." After being rejected, the white-haired girl said nothing more. She merely stood to one side and watched the catgirl loli work. Countless thoughts seemed to swirl within her black eyes.
Perhaps I should take the initiative for once?