"—!" ×N
Everyone froze upon hearing this.
"Wait—Mio, you'll be going alone?"
Hare asked worriedly.
"Of course I won't be alone. This is also the most important part of the entire plan. To make it more convincing and draw in every GHQ force in the surrounding area, I intend to use Tsugumi's Void again."
She straightened and looked toward the girl opposite her.
"Sure. I'm ready whenever you are."
Tsugumi patted her chest.
"By the way, Tsugumi... how many duplicates can your scanner create at most?"
"There's no upper limit. It wouldn't be a problem to duplicate every student here."
Tsugumi declared proudly.
"Excellent. You are not exaggerating, are you? Because that is precisely the effect I want."
She asked.
"I'm not exaggerating... It really can create that many."
Tsugumi waved a hand, reassuring her.
"Very well. Tsugumi will create duplicates of all the current students, then those dolls will riot alongside me and cause as much commotion as possible. That way, GHQ will almost certainly assume that we can no longer endure their pressure and are attempting to break through their blockade by force."
"Because a large number of innocent civilians live behind the wall, the situation will be different from before. To preserve their image in the eyes of the international media, they will have no choice but to protect those residents. As a result, they will undoubtedly dispatch an enormous force to stop us."
"Once all those conditions have been met, the plan will already be half successful. With most of the nearby troops redeployed and their posts left empty, the students will be able to evacuate safely. GHQ's attention will also be focused on me and the dolls rather than the Kuhouin family's passenger liner. You will seize the opportunity to lead everyone aboard and depart, while I make a flawless escape after drawing their fire. Everything will proceed in one seamless motion. What do you all think~?"
After finishing, she confidently folded her arms across her chest, a tranquil smile on her face. At that moment, she seemed to have transformed into a certain strategist, even deliberately imitating her bearing and mannerisms.
She had to admit, explaining a strategy to everyone like this felt incredibly satisfying. No wonder Kokomi always wore such a confident expression whenever she did so. Now, Mio finally understood.
"..." ×N
Everyone stood dumbfounded, but they soon recovered and began recalling every detail of the plan.
"..."
She did not rush them, allowing them time to digest it.
"What does everyone think? I believe Mio's plan is excellent. We should give it a try!"
Yahiro displayed a rare hopeful smile as he made the suggestion.
"Mm... I agree. Ever since Gai fell unconscious, it has been a long time since a battle plan impressed me this much."
Ayase also smiled at the beauty before her and sighed with emotion.
"Hehe~ As expected of Funeral Parlor's ace~! I approve!"
Tsugumi raised her hand in agreement without hesitation. Her Void was also crucial to this operation, which filled her with pride. She had never expected herself to be useful for something beyond computers, and it made her very happy.
"..."
The Shogun smiled at them, then turned toward Arisa.
"...Haa. Although it sounds somewhat reckless, it is worth staking everything on. I approve as well."
Arisa shrugged as she spoke to her.
"Me too..."
Hare raised her hand.
"Mm... same here."
Kanon raised her hand as well.
"I'll follow Mio."
Inori also agreed.
The vote was unanimous!
Seeing this, Mio inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked Kokomi. After spending so much time with her, Mio's mind had become far more flexible. Kokomi had also taught her many things in the past.
When she came back to her senses and looked up again, however, she discovered that everyone was staring at her with gazes filled almost entirely with affection and trust.
"...What is it?"
She asked in confusion.
"It's nothing. Mio really is amazing..."
Hare smiled.
"Mm... Without you, Mio, we would still be completely helpless and trapped on the defensive."
Outside, GHQ oppressed them day after day. Inside, rumors and unrest continued to spread. They had long since reached their limit. Fortunately, Mio had been there, allowing them to survive every crisis.
"As expected, perhaps Raiden really is a treasure sent to us by heaven?"
Kanon said, using a somewhat old-fashioned metaphor.
"Yes. Perhaps you yourself are a miracle, Mio, just like when you brought Jun back to my side."
Yahiro smiled at her.
"Agreed~! Without Mio, Funeral Parlor would have been finished long ago. Right, Ayase?"
"Mm... It's all thanks to you, Mio... including what happened with Gai..."
Wait... why did they suddenly start praising me?
They were making her feel embarrassed.
Still... this was the moment to say that line again, was it not?
"Not so... We have reached this point through more than my strength alone. Every one of you is an indispensable source of support at my side. Without you, today's plan could never have come together so smoothly, correct?"
She replied modestly.
"This is all thanks to everyone. It is the result of our combined efforts, and not a single person could have been absent."
Everyone is indispensable. That is the proper thing to say, correct? Right, Kokomi?
This was another phrase Kokomi often used.
"—!" ×N
Her words left everyone stunned for a moment, after which they all began laughing.
What followed was the familiar task assignment phase. Tsugumi adjusted her Void, while Inori, Ayase, Yahiro, and Mio planned the route. Arisa used anti-interference, anti-surveillance communication equipment to contact her grandfather and arrange for the passenger liner in advance. Hare and Kanon genuinely had nothing to do, so they took responsibility for serving tea and looking after everyone.
And just like that—
The entire night passed.
By morning, everyone had produced results. The evacuation route had been fully planned, Tsugumi had successfully calibrated her Void, and Arisa had finished communicating with the head of her family.
"The passenger liner will arrive at the docks in approximately three days..."
Arisa told them.
"Three days?"
Yahiro murmured.
"The wall closes in a little farther every day. We cannot delay any longer."
The Shogun said.
"I'm sorry. Three days is already the shortest possible time."
Arisa shook her head. After all, the passenger liner had to be transferred from distant waters to the docks in Tokyo Bay, which required time.
"Very well... Everyone can use these three days to make the necessary preparations. We must also inform the students afterward."
She nodded.
After that came time to rest. They had been busy throughout the night and could no longer hold out. Mio did not require sleep, so she was fine. However, when she looked up, she noticed that one person had yet to leave.
"...Inori?"
She called out.
"Mio..."
Inori clearly wanted to tell her something. She walked to Mio's side and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"What is it?"
Mio sat in a chair and asked in confusion.
"I... have been... acting strange lately."
Inori leaned lightly against the edge of her desk, facing her directly as she spoke softly.
"Strange? In what way?"
Mio did not understand. She even deliberately examined Inori's appearance, but nothing seemed wrong with her.
"I... sometimes... don't feel like myself."
Inori frowned. She found it difficult to explain and could only describe it according to her own understanding.
"..."
Mio silently took the girl's hand and comforted her.
"Sometimes, I hear someone speaking inside my head... saying strange things, bad things... frightening things. I don't understand it myself... but I'm worried that if this continues, I might cause trouble for all of you."
They had already reached such a crucial point, yet this problem had suddenly appeared. Inori was worried.
"Today, while I was watching over Gai, my head suddenly began hurting for some reason. Then, when I came back to my senses, I found myself holding a knife, as though I was about to do something to Gai... I'm scared, Mio."
Inori's eyes reddened slightly, and the hand holding Mio's trembled without pause.
"It is all right..."
Mio rose, embraced her, and gently stroked her hair.
"Stay by my side from now on... I will watch over you. Or you can remain with everyone else, and then you will have nothing to fear. Would that be acceptable?"
She asked. That way, she would also be able to discover the source of the problem Inori had described.
"Mm... I understand."