As if remembering something, Augetta quickly raised a hand and waved, adding,
"Well, I don't really care what others think. I just mean, if we look that terrifying, it can't be baseless."
She lifted both hands, lowered her head slightly, and stared at them, her tone complicated.
"I want to know… how many people this body has harmed…"
"I'm not entirely sure either."
Zane didn't answer her directly. He didn't know the specifics, but even without the exact number, there was no doubt it existed. After all, for something to spread among ordinary people as a terrifying urban legend already said enough. Official records also showed that the twins had taken many lives—some innocent, some not.
In any case, Black Veil Marionette and Gray Veil Marionette were both Ethereals.
"But why should you worry about that? The ones who did those things are the Twin Marionettes. What does that have to do with you?"
"The actions of Black Veil Marionette and Gray Veil Marionette aren't under your control, so you don't need to bear that burden."
As Zane finished, Augetta seemed to relax a little. But after thinking it over, she spoke again:
"But if we follow your suggestion, we'll still revert to our Ethereal state for a long time. We can't control it. In that case…"
"If we choose the second option, though, there won't be any problems afterward. The disappearance of the Twins' Ethereal forms might even save many people…"
"But if we choose the first… anyone the Twin Ethereals harm later would be indirectly killed by my sister and me…"
"Because we could have…"
Zane raised a hand to stop her. He gave her a complicated look, then turned to Augilia.
"You should understand this better than your sister. Do you feel the same?"
Augilia looked quietly at Zane and nodded.
Zane exhaled, momentarily at a loss. He rubbed his temple, then said,
"You two are just too kind…"
"Honestly, you don't need to struggle over whether you can control yourselves. If this really bothers you, I'll have the Hollow sealed off in the future."
"Not even official investigators or anyone on assignment—those using the Hollow for transport, energy extraction, and so on—will be allowed in."
"From then on, if anyone enters and meets with an accident, that's on them. You won't need to feel guilty."
Zane offered a solution. Augetta glanced at her sister, then stepped closer to him.
"Oh? So you want us to become human again? Hehe… you really are a good person, sir."
She let out two light laughs. Zane hadn't expected that and felt a bit helpless.
"Your focus is… peculiar…"
His earlier words had already revealed his stance. To be honest, at first he'd only planned to help the twins settle a few regrets and then take the Hollow. Clearly, he'd changed his mind. Controlling the Hollow didn't have to be done that way. It would be more troublesome, but he didn't mind.
"Oh, I'm just happy. I rarely meet people like you, sir…"
Augetta's tone was light, as if the earlier, almost frozen tension had melted away. Even so, Zane couldn't simply follow her lead.
"So, how are you going to choose?"
Facing his serious look, Augetta's laughter faded. She lifted her head, an unseen warmth in her gaze.
"Sir…"
"To be honest, haven't we already given our answer?"
Augetta raised both hands, gently clasped Zane's, and lifted them before her as she spoke softly,
"Sir, we have no reason to return to the human world. There's nothing there we can't let go of."
"The only exception—the only one—is Grandfather."
"As you said, we don't know how long we'd have to wait. Grandfather is old. He can't wait with us… The hope is so faint, and we'd still be troubling you…"
"It would be better to exchange it for three days—one last chance to feel this world, to see Grandfather. That would be enough."
Because of his health, Grandfather certainly couldn't enter the Hollow—let alone see the two of them. And if they remained Ethereals, they couldn't leave the Hollow either. In that brief window, even leaving the Ballet Tower might be impossible…
Hearing Augetta's words, Zane fell silent.
He turned to Augilia.
"Aren't you going to try to dissuade your sister?"
Augilia shook her head.
"Mr. Zane, she's right. I support her."
The sisters had grown up together and stayed together ever since, long since forming a tacit understanding. Though their personalities differed, their thoughts were much the same.
Augilia was cautious and clever, yet equally kind and earnest. Augetta was kind and lively, yet just as intelligent and calm.
As Augetta said, aside from Grandfather, Augilia had no attachment to the world either—or rather, ever since they were driven out of that elevator, they kept their kindness but clearly no longer held any hope.
"You two…"
Though they hadn't said it outright, Zane understood. His gaze sank; after a moment, he said,
"That you have no attachment to this world—that's New Eridu's fault…"
He gently withdrew his hands from Augetta's. Looking at the two of them, he said,
"I respect your choice."
"In that case, I won't say more."
With a sigh, Zane's expression settled back into calm. He slowly raised his hand.
"Once more—are you certain?"
Augetta and Augilia exchanged a glance, then looked to Zane and nodded.
With the ripple of Ether… the Ballet Tower blazed with radiant light.
...
"Can those performance outfits even be worn now?"
Zane frowned slightly at Augilia and Augetta before him.
"They should… still fit. Our bodies don't seem much different from before…"
The sisters, moving a bit stiffly as they held the dresses they'd found, answered earnestly.
Zane nodded and turned to leave. Ever since someone had taken advantage of him the first time he transformed into human form, he'd learned his lesson.
When Augilia and Augetta changed back, he deliberately veiled them in Ether and covered them with a layer of Ether crystals. So now the sisters were wrapped up tight—just a little hard to move.