After hearing the voice in Leo Ash's heart, the System paused for a moment.
But then, it immediately continued.
[You're a gentleman! You're so noble! You're amazing!]
[But who's going to make up for the fun this System is missing out on?!]
*You say that as if there's ever a shortage of fun in life. What's lacking is the eye to find it.*
[This System doesn't have eyes.]
*But you can see. Your observational abilities are countless times stronger than mine. Why limit your focus to just me?*
[That makes sense. Let this System take a look...]
[Oho, interesting.]
*Hey, I was just saying. You actually found something?*
[Here's the thing. You really are a gentleman.]
[But while you want to let her go, she doesn't want to let you go. For example, right now...]
Before the System could finish, Seele, her eyes now completely red, suddenly pressed herself against Leo Ash.
"Leo... onii-chan, is it okay to call you that?"
*Unsolicited kindness is either a trap or a trick. But it's not like she can steal anything from me...*
[A trap.]
*Hey, don't be so extreme.*
[A TRAP!]
[Even if the King of Heaven himself came today, it's still a TRAP!]
Completely unaware that Leo Ash was conversing with the System, Dark Seele pressed her chest tightly against his and, with tears welling in her eyes, said.
"I've been trapped in this strange place for so long. Onii-chan, you look so strong. Can you take Seele out of this scary place?"
"If Onii-chan can take Seele out of here, Seele will definitely do her best to repay you."
*Damn it, it's a seduction technique.*
[So what's the plan? Screw her?]
*Her mother's not even ashes at this point. Let's just pass.*
*Sigh, what a pain. I really didn't want this.*
Meanwhile, Dark Seele, now pressed tightly against Leo Ash, could feel that not only did he possess natural Stigmata like her, but he also held an even greater power.
Although Dark Seele couldn't identify this power, as a personality residing within the Stigmata, she knew one thing very well.
Honkai Energy, while dangerous, was undeniably powerful as a source of energy.
If she could snatch this power that was constantly emitting Honkai Energy from Leo Ash, she might be able to use its strange force to escape from this damn place.
As for charming Leo Ash into taking her with him... that option was clearly not within Dark Seele's more 'aggressive' way of thinking.
She didn't know who Leo Ash was.
But Leo Ash might know about Seele Vollerei.
If he were an ally, he would have asked about her situation long ago.
Since Leo Ash had been mostly silent on the way here, the possibility that he was 'personnel sent by Cocolia to rescue Seele Vollerei' was basically null.
Given that he was definitely not on her side, and possibly even an enemy, pinning her hopes of escaping the Sea of Quanta on his kindness...
...seemed far too foolish in Dark Seele's eyes.
[Other me, are you thinking about something bad?]
[And, pressing your body so tightly against Leo-onii-chan... aren't you embarrassed?]
*Hmph. I told you, just watch me work.*
*And what do you mean, 'something bad'? This is called taking the initiative.*
*Once I get my hands on the energy source inside him, you might be able to see your beloved Bronya-oneechan right away.*
[Even if you're trying to change the subject with Bronya-oneechan, this is—you're basically preparing to be a robber, aren't you?!]
[He hasn't done anything to us! You can't do this!]
*Idiot, this is a dog-eat-dog world!*
*Your own adoptive mother could use you as experimental material, and you're still hoping some stranger will be kind enough to take us away?*
*It's been so long, how are you still so naive!]
[But... but Mama Cocolia didn't know that this would...]
*Are you a fool?*
*The X-10 Experiment had been going on for so long, you think she wouldn't know the consequences of failure?*
*She definitely knew what would happen to you if the experiment failed, but she did it anyway. That was Cocolia's choice.*
*Don't forget, Onee-chan's legs were injured by that brat Sin Mal, which is why she couldn't participate in the experiment in time.*
*In other words, if you hadn't jumped in, idiot, Onee-chan would have been sent away by Cocolia by now—and she, unlike you, doesn't have a trump card like natural Stigmata.*
[...I still think this is wrong.]
*Forget it. I can't expect you to understand my efforts.*
*Just watch me. Don't get in the way later.*
After ignoring the protests coming from within Seele's mind, Dark Seele decisively pulled Leo Ash into the infirmary and shut the door.
As a much more aggressive personality, Dark Seele knew that men—at their core—were all lecherous.
Seele was naturally beautiful, and her demeanor gave off a 'pitiful and easy to bully' vibe. As long as Dark Seele properly imitated her partner's personality, it would be easy to awaken a man's protective instincts... and the beast hidden within him.
After that, with a few more tricks up her sleeve, she could lower the man's guard to its absolute minimum.
And that would be the perfect time for her to strike.
But at that moment, before Dark Seele could continue her facade, she felt a light envelop the entire infirmary.
"This, this is—Leo-onii-chan, what-what are you doing?"
Watching a wave of light that made her feel powerless burst from Leo Ash's body, Dark Seele forced a stiff smile and said to the man now staring at her coldly.
"Seele... Seele doesn't dislike Leo-onii-chan."
"But for you to be like this... isn't it a little too hasty? Seele isn't ready yet."
"Mhm, I believe you."
Now in his 'Cold, Handsome Man' mode, Leo Ash gave a slight nod, then suddenly stepped forward and pinned the girl onto the sickbed.
"Seele is a good girl. She certainly wouldn't be prepared for something like this."
"But when you were playing with fire using her body, you should have been prepared, shouldn't you, my mysterious red-eyed little sister?"
*This, this guy—*
*He knows about me?*
[Other me, I told you not to mess around!]
*Seele, you're mistaken.*
Now forcefully pinned to the bed by Leo Ash, completely unable to mobilize the Honkai Energy within her, Dark Seele broke out in a cold sweat.
*The one messing around right now isn't me, it's this man.*
[This... is this the beast you said was inside every man???]
*Yes, that's why I said every man has a beast inside him.*
[But you're the one who let this beast out, aren't you...]
*Shut up!*
*Even if I hadn't done this, look at his reaction speed! He was probably already planning to ambush us!]
[I think it's because you angered Leo-onii-chan that he decided to act directly.]
Listening to Seele's internal retorts, Dark Seele felt a surge of anger.
*We've only known him for five minutes! Five minutes, and you're already taking his side?*
*We're on the same team! He's the beast who has your body pinned to the bed and is about to do this and that to you!*
*And you're defending him? Are you hoping he'll go easy on you later, even though he can't hear you?*
[Go... go easy?]
Unlike the young soldier Bronya, Miss Seele Vollerei completely lacked her adoptive sister's extensive theoretical knowledge.
Even though Dark Seele's hint was obvious, the girl still didn't understand what 'go easy' specifically meant.
[Ah, things have reached this point. This should be an exciting scene.]
[But this System feels that you definitely won't go through with it.]
*Isn't that obvious? I'm just trying to scare this little brat who doesn't know her place.*
*Seele's a good kid. Why would I do something so beastly to a sweet, innocent girl like her?*
[That sounds reasonable enough, but this System really suspects—you just can't get it up, can you?]
*You—! So being a good person these days gets you labeled as impotent? What has the world come to?*
While conversing with the System, Leo Ash applied a little more pressure with his hands and checked on the current state of his Avenger personality.
The Avenger personality hadn't just exploded—that, of course, hadn't happened.
When the negative effects of the Void Demon Stone Fragment activated, it was either total annihilation of personality, body, and soul, or using special means to survive and then be fully resurrected.
Something like a person with a split personality losing one of them had, in any case, not happened to Leo Ash.
As for why the Avenger personality hadn't said a word until now, there was a reason for that too.
Before the fight with Kevin, both Leo Ash's 'newborn personality' and his 'Avenger' personality had noticed that the [Wavering Scales] was going haywire, which would inevitably trigger the negative effect of 'washing away emotions and causing the holder to lose their judgment'.
In order to avoid this negative effect as much as possible during the life-or-death battle with Kevin, the Avenger personality had chosen to bear the effect alone.
The current Avenger personality had completely lost its ability to judge because its emotions had been washed away.
But precisely because of this, with his judgment gone, the Honkai's interference and domination were, in turn, disrupted by his lack of judgment.
After all, what the Honkai could do was mostly 'guide'. The Avenger personality was now like a completely broken computer; with it being unable to perform any calculations, how the hell was the Honkai supposed to guide it?
Under these circumstances, Leo Ash felt that not interfering with the Avenger personality's actions was, in fact, the best way to help it.
After splitting his personality in two, while the Avenger personality still held onto the bottom line of 'not wanting to drag others into his revenge', it had indeed become more and more radical.
If Leo Ash interfered with this personality and it led to the Honkai having an opportunity to control it and cause it to start 'wreaking havoc', then he might as well just observe and take no other action from the start.
"Um, Leo-onii-chan..."
Looking at the boy staring straight at her, Dark Seele hadn't given up hope. She put on a pitiful act and said to Leo Ash in a tearful voice.
"If Leo-onii-chan wants Seele, then Seele can't resist."
"But, Onii-chan, before you start, could you let go of Seele's hands? It really, really hurts right now..."
[Wow, if anyone else saw this scene, they'd definitely think you're a supervillain.]
*You're right. But in reality, she's the one who was planning to dig out my Herrscher Core.*
At that very moment, the room door that Dark Seele had shut was suddenly thrown open.
And after opening the door, Rin, who in this World Bubble had suddenly gained the identity of 'school doctor' and was wearing a white coat and even had a slightly more ample figure, saw Leo Ash pinning Seele down, and her eye began to twitch.
"You're—School Doctor-sensei, save me!"
Seeing this unfamiliar woman enter her field of vision, Dark Seele immediately began to struggle while crying out naturally.
"Leo-onii-chan, he's planning to—"
"Hey."
Turning his head to look at Rin, who seemed to have aged a few years, Leo Ash asked with a deadpan expression.
"You don't actually believe her, do you?"
*Huh???*
*That tone???*
"I actually do."
Looking at the scene before her, Rin took off her non-prescription glasses and said to Leo Ash with a cold smile.
"You are, after all, a man. I'm not surprised at all that you'd have such thoughts."
"You two..."
Watching the two of them start talking so naturally, Dark Seele suddenly felt her throat go a little dry.
"...know each other?"
"Oh, we're comrades in arms."
Hearing Leo Ash's statement, Rin nodded with a frank smile.
"He's right. Comrades in arms. In every sense of the word."
Listening to the two of them respond with such perfect chemistry, Dark Seele felt her vision go a little dark.
*Why... why did things turn out like this?*
*I haven't even acted yet, so why has my plan already failed?*
*The two people who came to this World Bubble this time actually know each other???*
[Other me, I told you not to mess around.]
At that moment, Seele said to Dark Seele, full of dissatisfaction.
[Now, give! Me! Back! My! Body!]
...