I had prepared for this situation beforehand.

I’ll apply the emergency escape system.

The external emergency escape system controlled by Yuna is like a straw that can transfer a large amount of information at once. When Yuna takes a deep breath, I feel like I’m being pulled up quickly.

This is to extract my consciousness instantly in case of an emergency, but it also has another function. It’s like using the propulsion force as an elevator.

I break down this physical body into information, bind it tightly, and then activate the system at the appropriate strength. I’ll be shot up to the sky, exit Yuri’s mental fortress, and re-enter afterwards.

In other words, it’s a response.

Thanks to the Queen’s carelessness in not preparing for the escape from the inside to the outside, I can do this. Or maybe she was confident that once I’m in, she can stop me.

I pull the rope tied to me and send a signal to Yuna. Once the casting is complete, I’ll only pull half of it up.

-Yeah, I got it. I’ll contact you when the job is done⋯⋯!

Shhh, shhh, shhh.

Click, click, click.

As my body starts to transmit, I feel the Queen’s anxious hands reaching out. Yuna pulls me up, and the Queen pulls me down. It’s like a tug-of-war.

I help with the task of clearing the Queen’s interference. When Yuna’s output and my technology combine, even the Queen, no matter how stubborn, can be restrained at the ankle.

What I need to do here is⋯⋯ wait until the casting is complete.

I press my ear against the door and pay attention quietly. Soon, someone comes. Walking at a slow pace, it’s Yuri. She’s here.

“Excuse me. I’ve come to receive information, but⋯⋯.”

I lick my lower lip with the tip of my tongue. It’s time for my mouth to shine.

Just as Yuri approaches and is about to open the door. I let out a loud, lewd cry.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯?!”

Ah, and I take a deep breath. I can sense her confusion.

I take turns shouting like a man and a woman. Yuri, who thinks history is being rewritten, is stunned and flails about⋯⋯.

I’ve finally felt a sense of unease.

I’ve noticed that there has never been a moment when the male and female voices overlapped. I noticed it quickly, but this time, it’s not to waste time, but to shake my mind.

Yuri asked in a tense voice.

“Who’s there, inside?”

“It’s me, just me.”

I answer nonchalantly in my natural voice. Hearing my voice, Yuri is visibly startled, her voice quivering slightly. She asks,

“Why are you there…? More importantly, how?”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“This is the stronghold of the Eradication Squad. No matter how high-ranking you are in the Defense Agency… it seems disrespectful. Where is the person in charge? They should be here.”

“I haven’t seen anyone. Maybe they’ve gone home, considering the late hour…”

My response was suspicious to anyone listening.

Not just now, but in the future, a barrage of suspicion will rain down on me from the queen. So, I take the initiative. From this moment on, I become someone trying to pin their crime on me by impersonating me.

That’s why I started the conversation with an out-of-place groan.

Someone beyond this door can mimic the voices of many. That’s the premise I’m setting up.

Just in case they actually believe and blurt out, ‘Oh, it was you. May I come in?’ and fling the door open, I need to heighten their wariness.

I deliberately move my hand to create a breeze, sending the scent of blood through the crack of the door. Yuri’s guard is raised sharply, just as I intended, upon smelling the ominous scent of blood.

“Who are you, really…?”

“Who else? I’m your neighbor. Didn’t we meet today? Played chess, didn’t we?”

“The chess was the day before yesterday.”

“Ah, right, right. It was the day before yesterday. Memory gets fuzzy with age, doesn’t it?”

This should be good enough.

– Alright, I’m ready! Signal me, and I’ll pull you up!

From noble mtl dot come

The timing of the contact was perfect. The respawn preparations were complete. Just as I was about to leave a meaningful line and flee, Yuri spoke up.

With a voice full of hesitation and wavering.

“…Excuse me, please. Tell me. Are you, him? Or should I say, are you…?”

There was a brief pause before she pronounced ‘him.’

In that moment, she seemed to realize she didn’t know my name. Her voice trembled terribly, amplifying her anxiety.

So young.

Yuri beyond the door is young. Unable to control her emotions, she’s asking for the identity of someone presumed to be a beast, purely. Even though she knows the answer she’ll get is unlikely to be satisfactory.

She must be hoping it’s not true. That the pleasant young man next door isn’t her adversary. A friend made by chance amidst loneliness.

In a harsh life where only scoundrels flaunting their lust like succubi come calling, he could have been someone with whom she could share her heart… That’s why.

I have to answer her.

Just do it as I have been. Deceive.

It’s best not to affirm or deny here. I’m deliberately acting out ‘his’ voice, wanting to plant the idea that someone is trying to frame him.

Crafting lies to weave a plausible tale, playing the part to deceive Yuri is simple. Just answer ambiguously.

But then, my tongue suddenly stiffened.

“……..”

What’s going on? Did I get hit by the queen’s attack? No, she’s too busy playing tug-of-war with Yuna. I need to speak. To lie.

As I urge myself, my heart blurts out.

…Is this really okay?

What, lying? Snap out of it. I’m fighting the queen to save Yuri. I have to get through this crisis, become close with her, and get the key.

…So it’s okay to toy with Yuri’s feelings if it’s for her sake?

It’s different. I’m doing this to save her. Besides, the girl before me is just her childhood consciousness… It’s not really her. And all of this is part of the plan. There’s no need to introduce variables into the flow that’s going well.

I shook off the boy’s voice echoing in my head. Don’t waver. It’s a needless thought.

Yet, I ended up not responding to Yuri’s words. I pulled on the rope in silence, and the ground rapidly receded as if I were floating.

“Wait, answer me…!!”

Yuri flung open the door, but there was no one there.

Only a dead body, torn documents, and bloodstained remnants remained.

—

The skirmish between me and the queen quieted down after that day.

She threw occasional curveballs, but none as elaborate as the trap I’d experienced. It felt like she was probing.

She realized she couldn’t devour me unless she somehow disabled my emergency escape system.

I thought I needed to drive the point home, so I reconnected often.

After moving from one end of the map to the other, and in and out of a room you can’t leave until you’re caught, the queen seemed quite irate. The click-clack sounds were irritatingly frequent.

Also, I could feel the queen’s hunger. The more I showed my abilities, the more she seemed desperate to swallow me whole.

I’ve been pushing it, performing, pretending I’m fine… and it seems I haven’t been caught yet.

It’s a good flow.

All within expectations. Except for one thing.

…I’m not sure about my own heart. Random thoughts keep bubbling up. Was I too harsh on Bennett’s trio? Should I write a Centra handmade letter to Irid?

Should I start preparing to seriously propose to Yuna, so I’m not too late? Such thoughts keep surging.

And the guilt towards Yuri.

I understand the sudden change in my feelings. I’m a detached consciousness, inside Yuri’s mental world. So, something in my head is physically and magically quite distant.

Theoretically, I should be less influenced by ‘it’.

Due to a sudden growth of conscience, I found myself needlessly worrying in this urgent and critical situation…

I consciously shook my head to clear the trivial thoughts.

Let’s keep going. If we continue like this, we can do it. Don’t do something you’ll regret. Isn’t there something you need to save? Let’s talk about the task. Focus.

I speculated that the Queen had a reason for setting the stage in the year 440, and I knew that “Red Resurgence” was the key organization.

Knowing the Queen’s lack of skill in crafting stories from scratch, the upcoming events would likely be a slightly modified version of actual history.

In other words, if I could find out what happened during that era, I could essentially predict the future.

Being acquainted with Yuri Lannister and knowing someone who would be aware of Yuri’s whereabouts around the year 440… There was such a person at the Academy. Irid’s exclusive agent, Kirby.

I plucked the string to send a signal.

-You’re asking me to check on it…? Yes, I know the location. I’ll send a butterfly to ask and come back.

“Please do. I’ll stick with Yuri and follow that lead.”

-Uh-huh, so. Hang in there…!

“Not much time left, let’s both keep up the strength.”

With that, the communication ended.

—

“Now, the royal decree.”

I handed Yuri the imperial decree. It was a document I had remembered and replicated from when I asked Irid to cover for the magic sword production fiasco shortly after arriving at the Academy.

It stated that I would join the Annihilation Squad in a role supporting Yuri personally.

I thought it advantageous to close the physical distance and minimize the time apart from her.

Yuri read the document carefully and nodded.

“…There’s no mistake. Does this mean we’ll be working together?”

“Exactly. I’m not exactly field agent material, a bit flimsy, but I’m pretty confident in my discernment… It’ll be helpful, right?”

“Sure, it’ll be helpful. But… what did you do last night?”

“Slept soundly. Why?”

I asked nonchalantly, and Yuri shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing…”

Yuri felt suspicious about the events of the previous night but seemed lost in thought. Human psychology dictates that if you give information too openly, suspicion comes first.

Logically, if the person before you were the culprit, they wouldn’t have revealed so much… At least, that’s not something you can be certain of. That’s what one would think.

But before that, it seems there’s also a desire not to suspect.

Yuri continued to ask several questions to figure out the alibi for the night. It was clear to anyone that I had a solid alibi, and she wanted to hear it to feel at ease.

If I could have left a trace, I would have. Even if I used a reconnection to teleport long distances and leave a mark with a neighboring NPC, any alibi would be useless with a mere gesture from the Queen.

Yuri hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard your name.”

It was clear she was asking for my name. I hesitated. Even if I wanted to tell her, I couldn’t, and making one up would only complicate things.

“Isn’t ‘you’ sufficient?”

“What, is it classified… something like that?”

“Not exactly.”

The moment my name is defined, it becomes a weapon the Queen can use against me. Just having my name on all sorts of suspicious documents is threatening enough.

So, I tried to brush it off as much as possible.

“You know, there’s a small festival coming up at the Annihilation Squad. I heard it’s for fostering camaraderie. Do you know about it? Oh, of course, you would. You’re a defense agency operative after all…”

“…And?”

“Well, if you happen to be free. If you have some spare time, that is. Maybe we could go together…”

I carefully observed Yuri as she spoke. It didn’t seem like a date invitation. Certainly not love or affection. There was no reason for such an intense proposal.

Unrestrained loneliness dripped from young Yuri’s eyes.

Ah. I could easily imagine it.

Belonging to the Annihilation Squad yet living isolated in a remote mansion. The prickly demeanor she showed me at our first meeting. And now this fragile appearance.

…Is she being ostracized?

The Annihilation Squad’s, that black-haired girl… she seemed to admire her. I thought she was doing well. Was it different in the past? Or is the Annihilation Squad different from what I thought?

She’s like a child on the outskirts of the class, all hunched up. As if trying to bring a newly befriended kid from another class to a party with her own classmates.

Is she that desperate to alleviate her loneliness?

My heart felt heavy.

In my mind, I hastily justified why I must attend the Annihilation Squad’s festival.

It was obvious the story would revolve around the Annihilation Squad. I needed to learn more about its members and their characteristics.

I had thought it best to keep my distance, but now that the Annihilation Squad membership card was on the table, I readily nodded.

“My schedule happens to be free that day.”

“…I haven’t even told you when it is yet.”

Right. I felt a bit embarrassed and averted my gaze, scratching my head. Yuri saw this and chuckled. She was like a bud blooming in spring.

Then, she asked once more.

“…At the festival, you’ll have to write your name in the guest book.”

“……..”

The thought that this could be a trap set by the Queen came to me belatedly. A festival at this timing, isn’t it too coincidental? At least I should wait for Yuna’s information gathering… to confirm if there really was a festival at that time.

Shouldn’t I wait until safety is confirmed before giving an answer? So, in fact, I should beat around the bush that the schedule isn’t certain. And later, I should let them know if I can participate.

But then, they’ll surely be disappointed. Since I’ve already answered. If I take it back, Yuri’s expression will darken with gloom.

Besides, this was ‘something that happened.’ There’s no changing the past by making young Yuri smile. Just like building a sandcastle on the beach, it will melt away when the waves come.

So, I should quickly retract my answer…

“Could you call me Mima?”

“…Mima?”

“A person who closely resembles you used to call me a crazy sorcerer. I shortened it to two syllables.”

I must be crazy.

Yuri mulled over the impromptu pseudonym I blurted out. Repeating ‘Mima’ with her lips moving. It felt strange.

Even though it’s a fake name, wasn’t it the first time she called me by a name?

More importantly. I can’t even remember the last time I heard my name from someone else. I’ve forgotten my name. If life is defined by what I can remember, then this is the first time in my life.

Yuri said with a sheepish smile.

“Is that so? You, I mean… Mima, are quirky and unpredictable. The person who resembles me must have had a hard time getting along with you.”

“It was the other way around. I carried the burden.”

“…You mean you carried them around? What kind of person are they?”

“Well, for starters, they had a big heart.”

Yuri glared at me for a moment with a look that said, ‘You’re not joking, right?’ And so, I promised to be young Yuri’s festival partner.