Miyume does not know Kanon’s true lab.

Although she has visited the official lab multiple times, she has never once been allowed into the lab that also serves as the sanctuary of the Deep Dream Project.

However, that does not mean Miyume cannot reach the lab.

“…This way.”

The accumulated information and her partially awakened Mystic Eye of Logic were analyzing the path leading to Kanon’s lab.

The night school building echoed only with Miyume’s footsteps.

(I… I will end this.)

She was ready.

For the sole purpose of defeating her sister, Miyume moved forward.

There was no turning back now.

“…I’m getting hungry.”

Even though not much time had passed since her last dose, Miyume’s body was crying out for sustenance.

Her physique was nearing completion, craving its final piece.

It was likely also because she was using the analytical abilities of the Mystic Eye of Logic.

Right now, Miyume was consuming far more energy than what a human needed to survive, making her hunger inevitable.

“I have to defeat Onee-chan. And then, I too…”

Holding her stomach as if to suppress her hunger, Miyume staggered forward.

With each step, the rationality within her faded, transforming her into a beast.

By the time she reached Kanon, she was certain she would no longer be herself.

“Haa… haa…”

She steadied her breathing and forced her mind to work.

She focused solely on suppressing her instincts with reason and moving forward.

And at the end of the path leading to her destruction—there she was.

“…You are…”

Bathed in moonlight, a silver-haired girl leaned against the wall, cradling a massive scythe.

The night wind slipped through a broken window, causing her hair to sway slightly.

“—Sorciera.”

“A lovely night, isn’t it, monster?”

Sorciera spoke without even looking at Miyume.

In her hand, she toyed with a single flower, crafted from a crystal-like substance.

Gazing at the flower with both affection and amusement, Sorciera spoke before Miyume could utter a word.

“How does this flower appear to your eyes?”

“…It’s crystallized magic.”

“How dull. Full marks as a researcher, but as a person, you fail. This is a flower. Because I wish it to be so.”

In Sorciera’s hand, the flower withered at an alarming rate.

A fake flower, supposedly made of crystal.

And yet, it displayed the full span of life—from vibrant bloom to inevitable death—as if it truly possessed life.

Sorciera gently crushed the now-withered flower in her palm before finally turning her gaze to Miyume.

“Are you a monster? Or a human?”

“I’m a monster.”

“Fufu. I see, so that is what you wish to be.”

“What’s so funny?”

Sorciera pointed at Miyume.

“For a monster, you’re quite adorable. A monster that looks like it’s about to cry—who would fear such a thing?”

“…Shut up! If you have nothing to do with this, leave me alone!”

As Miyume attempted to walk past Sorciera, a jet-black scythe suddenly blocked her path.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“I don’t particularly care whether you’re a monster or a human.”

Sorciera lazily held her scythe in a ready position.

“But someone entrusted me with their wish for you to remain human. Fufu, don’t you think it’s both foolish and pure to force one’s ideals onto another?”

A familiar face surfaced in Miyume’s mind.

She quickly shook it off and shouted.

“Enough already! Just forget about me! I’m grateful you saved me back then. But that’s exactly why—this is my turn now. With my own hands, I will kill Onee-chan. And then—”

“You will die too. Isn’t that right?”

As if reading Miyume’s heart, Sorciera spoke.

She saw through Miyume’s resolve, her determination—everything.

And then, she laughed.

“How pathetic. Every bit the selfish reasoning of a weakling.”

“…What did you say? You’re calling me selfish?”

“You slap away the hand reaching out to you, pretend to be a monster, and let yourself fall. You’re weak, aren’t you? That’s why you’re afraid to grasp that outstretched hand.”

“Shut up!”

That was the trigger.

The heart of the girl named Miyume had already been trampled upon, and she had reached her limit.

Driven by anger, Miyume willingly plunged herself into a state of starvation.

Mustering the last remnants of her rationality, she clad her body in armor.

Uneven scales, a lizard-like head.

She transformed into a monster that could only be described as a failed dragon.

“If you get in my way, I’ll take you down…”

“Even now, the only ones you’ll kill are your sister and yourself, huh?”

It was hostility, but not murderous intent.

Sorciera, exasperated, drew another scythe.

Wielding both a jade-green scythe and a pitch-black one, she provocatively declared:

“You bark so loudly, yet you lack the resolve to kill me.”

“Ugh, Sorciera!”

Miyume’s arm came slashing down at Sorciera.

However, as her claws struck, Sorciera’s form dissolved into black feathers, scattering into the air.

“Such clumsy footwork. No one will dance with you like that.”

A light tap, a sensation of someone leaning against Miyume’s back.

There stood Sorciera, having evaded Miyume’s attack.

“Quit messing around!”

Miyume swung her claws sideways as she turned.

Yet, Sorciera leaped, standing at the very tip of Miyume’s outstretched arm, shaking her head in exaggerated disappointment.

“Do you even have the will to fight? At this rate, you won’t just fail to defeat me—you won’t even be able to kill your beloved sister.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop getting in my way!”

Her fury turned into a roar.

A formless attack, infused with magic, surged toward Sorciera through sound waves.

However, despite its invisibility, Sorciera cleaved through it with a single stroke of her scythe.

Only the windows to her left and right shattered into tiny fragments, scattering starlight in chaotic reflections.

It was as if Sorciera stood at the center of a small galaxy.

In her eye, a geometric magic circle shimmered into existence.

“…A Mystic Eye.”

“Matching with yours. I was hoping you’d be a little pleased.”

Even as she spoke, a smirk twisted Sorciera’s lips.

Miyume grimaced internally at the sight of the unknown Mystic Eye.

(Even the Mystic Eye of Logic can’t analyze it…!? The Mystic Eye is right in front of me, yet no matter how many times I attempt to decipher it, the result remains unchanged. The conclusion drawn is that Sorciera possesses no Mystic Eye at all…!)

The Mystic Eye of Logic was the divine eye capable of analyzing all things.

If even that eye failed to comprehend its nature, just how powerful was Sorciera’s Mystic Eye?

And what kind of price had she paid to obtain it?

“Oh my, you’re trembling. Are you afraid?”

“…!”

Pointed out by Sorciera, Miyume realized she was indeed trembling.

With her hunger state bringing her instincts to the forefront, Miyume was no longer thinking logically—her primal survival instincts were sensing danger.

At this moment, the battle was already decided.

“Even so, I can’t afford to give up here!”

Miyume did not break. She charged at Sorciera once more.

Then, forgetting all restraint, she swung her claws with full force.

A monstrous strike, beyond human capabilities.

Sorciera did not even glance at the attack. She was only looking into Miyume’s eyes.

“Heh… How simple. Impulsive, passionate. Not bad.”

Sorciera’s eye emitted a faint glow.

The enigmatic Mystic Eye within her had activated.

(Something’s coming—!)

At that moment, a dazzling light filled Miyume’s vision.

“…!”

The blinding radiance was enough to rob her sight. Her wildly flailing arm sliced only through empty air.

Then, she felt something touch her neck.

“I’m right here.”

In her blurred vision, Sorciera’s figure emerged.

Cool and composed, she had slipped right into Miyume’s guard.

Her pale, slender hand reached for Miyume’s neck.

Miyume understood how terrifying it was to be touched by someone with Sorciera’s ability to manipulate interference.

She tried to pull away—but she was too late.

At the center of Sorciera, a magic circle spread across the floor.

“Checkmate.”

In the next instant, a sensation of strength draining from the body took hold.

By the time she realized it was the forced release from a starvation state, it was already too late.

Without even a chance to resist, Miyume was forcibly returned to human form.

“—!”

Now just an ordinary girl, Miyume collapsed onto the floor, naked.

There was nothing she could do anymore.

“Don’t get in my way… I finally made up my mind… I was ready to die.”

Crying like a child, Miyume curled up into a ball.

As if trying to turn away from reality, she squeezed out her words.

“Don’t deny me for being myself…”

Sorciera did not look at her.

As if to say she was not worth seeing, Sorciera gazed at the starry sky and asked:

“Are you really fine with this?”

“…I have to be. This is my role.”

At those words, Sorciera let out a sigh.

“No. That’s not right, is it?”

Sorciera’s blue eyes locked onto Miyume.

Her unwavering gaze seemed to be expecting something from her.

“I’m asking what you want. Your ideals, your dreams.”

“Having something like that now would only make it more painful!”

Sorciera quietly shook her head, knelt before Miyume, and gently stroked her cheek.

Then, she smiled faintly.

“No matter what reality awaits, that’s no reason to abandon hope. Look at the stars. Even in this darkness, they shine with pride.

Even if their fate is eventual extinction, their brilliance never wavers. That brilliance is what people call hope.”

Sorciera continued to look at Miyume.

As if she already knew Miyume would stand up.

“I’ll ask again. Kūna Yume, what is it that you desire?”

Miyume did not have a definitive answer to that question.

For someone whose entire belief system had been shattered, the world must have seemed cloaked in darkness.

She still didn’t know what she could trust in such a world.

Even so, a single star was guiding the way.

“I…――”

What spilled from Miyume’s lips was an utterly self-indulgent ideal.

A wish from a girl who knew nothing and was nothing.

A fantastical dream.

Yet, Sorciera did not mock it.

“I see. That’s not such a bad answer.”

With those words, Sorciera gently patted Miyume’s head, then stood up and turned away.

“You should be fine now. All that’s left is an appropriate dress code.”

Between Miyume and Sorciera, a magic circle formed, and a uniform descended.

It was not the usual one from Zilnius Academy that Miyume wore.

It was a girls’ uniform from Fectom General Academy.

“If you’re going to face your sister, at least dress properly.”

“…Thank you.”

Without so much as a glance at the bowing Miyume, Sorciera vanished from the spot.

Silence returned, leaving Miyume alone once more.

But this time, her eyes were different.

They shone like blazing stars, burning with determination.

■

Yes, that was a death sentence.

『 You know, suddenly stripping a beautiful girl naked is just not okay.』

I have no excuses.

I’ll just die.

Oh, should I gouge my eyes out first?

I really tried not to look.

But in the end, maybe I should start by stuffing my own organs into these eye sockets.

『You go that far for self-punishment? Even I’m taken aback.』

I mean, I didn’t expect her to end up completely naked.

But thinking about it, it makes sense.

Because it happened the last time we fought, too.

Twice.

Twice now, I’ve seen Miyume-chan naked.

『But if you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have been able to fully restore her body. With that armor on, you couldn’t have infused the bio-construct data.』

I know that… I know that!

Even so, a sin is still a sin…!

Out of guilt, I might have buffed the Mystic Eye of Logic just a little bit.

Sorry, Kanon-chan.

Miyume-chan is probably ridiculously strong right now.

『Sister, Narou Kei, what are you two talking about alone?』

To Nana-chan, we must have seemed completely silent.

Sorry, Nana-chan.

“It’s nothing. Now, shall we get moving?”

『This bio-data… It’ll be useful for upgrading Twin Star Form. A pleasant surprise. Shieru, help me with the magic formula construction.』

『Understood, Sister.』

As the siblings happily started refining their magic, I quietly began to move.

Alright, next up, I get a front-row seat to Miyume-chan and Kanon-chan’s fight! ^^

And then, I’ll destroy these eyes.

『Please, just don’t set a bad example for Shieru.』