Miyume awoke to the unpleasant sensation of her parched throat itching.

A familiar ceiling, the sharp scent of alcohol.

The mechanical sounds she was used to hearing were almost like a lullaby.

“…I…”

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation in her right hand.

A warmth, something wrapping around it.

Following it with her eyes, she saw that Toa was holding her hand.

“Get better… please… what do I do if this stays like this? N-no, it’s okay… right? It’s okay, it’s okay!”

Mumbling to herself, Toa continued holding Miyume’s hand, seemingly unaware that she had woken up.

“Um…”

“Eh?! Ah…!”

Their eyes met.

Toa blinked in surprise, then, still holding her hand, collapsed weakly onto the spot.

“I’m so glad… you really woke up… I didn’t know what I’d do if you never woke up…”

Seeing Toa’s relieved smile, Miyume tried to return it with one of her own—until a certain thought crossed her mind. She shook off Toa’s hand.

“M-Miyume-chan?”

“…Please don’t come near me.”

She barely managed to say it.

Rejecting Toa, who had stayed by her side until she woke up, was agonizing.

It made her despise herself even more.

But she had no choice.

Because—

“I’m a monster. If I turn into that again, I’ll attack you too, Toa-chan. I’ll eat you… for sure.”

“…You remember?”

Miyume gave a small nod.

“That time, I tried to eat everyone. I thought they looked delicious.”

Just recalling it sent chills down her spine.

She had viewed her friends as nothing more than appetizing food.

Friends who had treated her as an equal.

That was precisely why she had wanted to devour them even more.

Someone with such feelings could no longer be considered human.

“Toa-chan, thank you for everything until now. I had fun. Also… please take care of Konie-senpai.”

“Miyume-chan, wait!”

As Miyume got up and tried to leave the bed, Toa grabbed her hand once more.

“Let go! I can’t stay here! If I do, I’ll end up eating everyone again!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Kei-kun and Luka-san will find a way—”

“Is a mere imitation even worth that much effort?”

“…Huh?”

Miyume laughed bitterly.

She raised her hand toward the ceiling and gazed at it.

“I’m just a copy of that girl, Yume, aren’t I?”

“…You heard?”

“I must have half-woken up. It feels like a dream… A nightmare, though.”

Miyume had been created by Kanon, given an unyielding body.

Her consciousness likely awakened faster than a normal person’s.

Unfortunately, it had activated at the worst possible time.

“I wasn’t born because someone wished for me. No one sees me as myself…”

Kanon’s love had been a lie.

Konie’s kindness had stemmed from guilt.

Luka’s consideration had been because he wanted to please everyone.

No one had truly seen Miyume for who she was.

That was an undeniable fact.

Miyume’s world had been built on lies.

“I was always alone. Because I’m a monster.”

She shook off Toa’s hand.

Toa, seemingly too shocked to resist, let go easily.

Miyume took that as a sign of Toa’s acceptance and started walking away.

However—

“Miyume-chan… that’s not true.”

After only a few steps, she was pulled into an embrace, making her stop.

Toa’s arms, wrapped around her from behind, weren’t ones she could easily shake off this time.

“What about me and Kei-kun? Did we ever see you as an imitation? Did we ever treat you as Yume’s replacement?”

“…That’s just because you two are good people. You got caught up in this because you’re too kind. That’s all.”

“Even so.”

The grip around her tightened.

As if trying to convey Toa’s sincerity.

“Even if we were just caught up in it, is it wrong for me to want to save you, Miyume-chan?”

Toa’s words seeped into Miyume’s heart.

If she let her guard down even slightly, she felt like she would break down and cling to that kindness.

“I… I see you as my dear friend, Miyume-chan. I always have, and I always will.”

“Those are wasted words on a monster.”

“You’re not a monster! You’re kind, smart, and full of energy—you’re my precious friend!”

Toa pressed her head against Miyume’s back and spoke softer than she ever had before.

“…Come with me to Fectom? No one there will see you as Yume.”

“But if I stay with you, I’ll be a burden. I don’t know when I might lose control again.”

Toa responded with unwavering confidence.

“Don’t underestimate us. Even if you turn into that again, we’ll stop you. Believe it or not, Kei-kun, Miroku-chan, Mizuhi-chan, and I are all strong. So it’ll be okay.”

It was a belief rooted in their battle against Kiso Academy.

Toa truly believed that as long as the Fectom Academy members stood together, they wouldn’t lose to anyone.

Miyume opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped.

Instead, she swallowed her words and responded with a different answer.

“…A school that accepts even monsters? That’s a strange place. But… maybe just knowing someone cares is enough to keep me going.”

“Miyume-chan…”

It was an unbearably gentle rejection.

Hearing it, Toa let out a sound like she was about to break.

It was a rejection of her goodwill.

If Miyume stayed here any longer, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.

“Thank you.”

Miyume gently removed Toa’s arms.

“Goodbye, Toa-chan.”

She turned, gave a small bow—

Then put on the biggest smile she could manage before leaving the room.

“Did I… say something wrong…?”

The words she muttered dissolved into nothing, unanswered.

All Toa could do was stare blankly at the door Miyume had walked through.

Even with all her heart, she hadn’t been able to change anything.

How much time had passed like this?

It felt like an eternity, yet also like only a fleeting moment.

Toa snapped back to her senses when the door opened and Luka stepped inside.

“Luka-san!”

She was visibly battered—proof of an intense battle.

Rushing over, Toa examined Luka’s wounds with an untrained eye, but even so, it was clear they were severe.

“You fought against Kanon, didn’t you?”
“—That’s right.”

The one who answered Toa’s words wasn’t Luka, but the girl standing behind her.

Toa had been too focused on Luka’s injuries to notice, but Sorciera was standing right behind her.

Seeing her, Toa staggered back in shock.

“S-Sorciera!? W-Why are you here…!”
“I brought this child here. I’d appreciate at least a word of thanks.”

Sorciera glanced around the room and tilted her head.

“That man, Narou Kei or whatever his name was—where did he go? I thought I’d have him brew me some tea as thanks for carrying this girl all the way here.”

Without hesitation, Sorciera stepped into the room, sighed, and sat down on the sofa.

“…Kei, I knocked him unconscious in the student council room.”
“What!? W-Why would you do that!? Is Kei-kun okay!?”
“He’s fine. He’s just sleeping for a little while. I couldn’t drag him into my personal battle.”

Hearing that, Toa felt relieved.

But Sorciera only looked exasperated at Luka.

“Take care of yourself before worrying about others. Protecting someone is a privilege of the strong.”

Snap—Sorciera snapped her fingers.

Magical circles appeared all over Luka’s body.

It was Sorciera’s original spell, inscribed with a magic formula that drastically enhanced the body’s regeneration.

“T-This is…!”
“Stay put for a while. Your battle is over.”
“That’s right. I’ve already fulfilled my purpose.”

Saying that, Luka pulled a memory chip from her expanded domain.

This was what she had risked her life to obtain.

“This contains the data needed to complete Miyume’s body. With this, she’ll no longer suffer from hunger. She can live as a human.”

This was the only way Luka could help.

She had to complete Miyume before Kanon’s plan could.

With that faint glimmer of hope in her heart, Luka turned to the bed where Miyume had been.

But there was no one there.

“…Where did Miyume go?”

Luka’s question made Toa lower her gaze.

Her voice was on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t stop her…!”
“!?”

Luka turned on her heel, trying to retrace her steps.

But her body and mind had already reached their limits.

“Ugh… My body…”
“Luka-san!”

Toa caught Luka as she collapsed and bowed her head again.

Looking at her, Luka couldn’t bring herself to place any blame.

She had been too late.

Even knowing it was futile, Luka voiced her regret.

“I’m sorry… Miyume. If only I had made my decision sooner, if only I had accepted Konie’s proposal earlier…!”

As Luka wept, Toa held her tightly, while Sorciera let out an exasperated sigh.

“—Enough with the gloom. You can cry all you want later.”

Sorciera snatched the memory chip from Luka’s hand.

Studying it with interest, she spoke.

“Data on human body construction… This is practically the pinnacle of forbidden life sciences. Fascinating.”

The memory chip vanished into thin air.

She must have stored it in her expanded domain.

“What are you doing…!? That belongs to Miyume…!”
“Let’s make a deal.”

Sorciera smiled enigmatically.

Stars shimmered beyond the window behind her.

“This data will be valuable for the calamity ahead. So, I’ll take a copy. In exchange, I’ll make sure this gets to that artificial lifeform.”
“Really…?”
“This is a contract. What will you do?”

Toa looked to Luka, leaving the decision to her.

Luka hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright. But I have one correction.”
“Oh? And what is that?”

Sorciera tilted her head as Luka met her gaze head-on.

“She’s not some artificial lifeform. Her name is Kūna Miyume—she’s my precious junior.”

Hearing that, Sorciera smiled slightly.

“Oh? …How dull.”

A teleportation circle appeared.

In the next moment, she was gone.

“…Miyume.”

For now, all Luka could do was pray to the stars.